The Dating Game
by Carolanne O'Rourke
Summary: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn’t succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny
1. Chapter 1

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.

Summary: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near.  If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?  Draco/Ginny

Authors note: Hey guys, I'm really going to try and get chapters out weekly if even earlier than that.  I already have chapter 2 written-but I'm waiting to send it out to a new editor.  I know some of you may be wondering about "The Dusty Magical Closet" and it's sequels, they will get out-but I need to do rewrites.  This will be my main novel for now and I probably won't work on much else. Thank you all so much for your encouragements, I hope you find this story just as enjoyable as my others.

It was the same thing every time.  He'd get them exactly where he wanted them cornered and whimpering.  And only when they'd finally turn away would he pounce.   Easy prey, and after two years of running, Draco could feel no more love for this game.  It had begun early when he was barely fifteen years old.  Malfoy's always had trouble with boasting.  Girls had become a big issue in the lives of both Draco and his young teenage friends.  Draco and his fellow Slytherin's had started a bet.  The key--Draco, who had run his mouth about his talents in the bedroom, had been nominated to throw the game into motion.  It didn't help that all of Slytherin house looked up to him, and he was after all one of the best-looking guys at Hogwarts.  

So for the past two years Draco Malfoy had become a swift womanizer, seducing any girl above 4th year and had enjoyed unfettered success thus so far.  Draco, in his 7th year had worked his way through every 5th, 6th, and 7th year female at Hogwarts.  Except for two.  But he wasn't too worried; he still had half the year left to finish the job.  He realized how vital winning this bet and playing the game was to his future.  The situation with his father had been piling pressure on him for over a year now.  Lucius pressed Draco persistently to start taking part with the Dark Lord.  Draco, meanwhile, was biding his time, and had until his eighteenth birthday to make the decision.  

But Lucius wasn't as smart as he thought, for Narcissa--his mother who had passed away a year prior, had set up a secret trust fund for Draco that only he could inherit, but he would have to wait until he was eighteen to touch it.  Narcissa had foreseen the pressure Draco was doomed to.  Before she had died, she had told Draco of her secret plans towards Lucius.  The vault--912 at Gringotts--contained two million galleons, a small fortune for Draco that would allow him to flee his gilded cage and unwanted calling to live on his own at last.

He still hadn't decided.  Should he inform the ministry of Lucius' close ties with Voldemort?  Narcissa had said something to him just before her death.  She had begged Draco not to think too unkindly of his father.  Lucius was truly a very weak-minded man, hungry for power.  He had always harbored anger, Voldemort had manipulated him and when Lucius received the Dark Mark before Draco's birth darkness had replaced his anger.  

_"And now he wants me to join the inner circle."_  Draco shuddered.  He had always despised Voldemort whether anyone knew it or not.  He felt half-breed's shouldn't be allowed to associate with pureblood's but he didn't want extermination like Voldemort did.  He did value human life.  Draco squirmed distantly when the body next to him let out a contented sigh.  One of the last of his conquests; a Gryffindor of the hardest of all houses to rip down…  Lavender Brown was curled around Draco's large silk pillow trying once again to look innocent.  _Innocent_ his ass!  Once he had got her going she had turned into a vixen.  He had found that her "sweet--_no, Draco, no_!" routine was really just a bullshit facade.  Once they had been stripped of their clothing, she had immediately taken control.  She _definitely_ had known what she was doing.  It almost seemed a loss to do what he was about to do.  He doubted she would mind…

"Obliviate."

Most didn't mind having him bed them, but none remembered a thing afterwards.  It was part of the rules-his game _couldn't _be found out.  Even if Draco wanted to try and have another go with a conquest, it would have been impossible.  His desire for sex had been nearly extinguished having had so much of it nothing seemed to surprise him anymore.  He did discover a few shocking things though.

Like Hufflepuffs--they weren't loyal and sweet like most thought.  Hufflepuff girls were real sluts!  They always wanted encores afterwards.  But he always declined.  He didn't want to have to touch certain girls more than he had to.  Some were real dogs.

Ravenclaws always cried right after…

And Gryffindors--they'd pass out as soon as the deed was done.

Slytherins were a different matter altogether.  They were creative and rough with their lovemaking and knew _exactly_ what spots to touch.  Draco felt very compelled to be proud of his house females.

Draco didn't look up when the door opened but he knew it was Malcolm in his invisibility cloak.  Arriving to take Lavender back to her dorm room.  An invisible hand picked the girl up off Draco's bed and pulled her into nothingness.  Only when the door was closed shut did Draco allow himself to fall down into his comfortable sheets.  He stretched out and yawned loudly.  

"Two more girls…just two more girls…and you'llnever have to do this again."

 "_You'll win the money and be out of your father's life for good_."  Draco didn't want to have to let go of his trust fund.  If he did, he'd never escape.


	2. Chapter 2

**Title****: The Dating Game**

**Rating****: R******

**Keywords****: Draco/Ginny**

**Warnings****: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.**

Summary: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny

**Authors note**: _Alright!  I have a lot to say in this authors note; first of all, a big huge wonderful awesome big thank you to Su, who edited these chapters for me.  Than a bigger thank you to all the people who came through for me in sending e-mails of inspiration and offers for beta reading (even though a lot admitted to not being very good) but I'm thankful all the same.  I apologize to those I didn't respond to with their offers, and I just want to repeat: THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!  You have no idea how much it means to know I can get support from fellow Harry Potter fans._

_I put out another chapter with this one as well to make up for lost time – I know how frustrating it is to have to wait for stories to be updated.  If my new beta reader and I work out than we'll continue with the weekly schedule!  Thank you guys again for the reviews, if I could kiss you all personally I would!  ___

"Out of the way!  Don't crowd the halls with your Gryffindor stench!"  Draco let go of the small second year boy who fell to the ground in tears.  He held back any guilt and walked out of the entrance hall. Draco's next class was Care of Magical Creatures-Dragon's Study Year 7, a new idea from Hagrid.  Draco had always felt strongly compelled to be knowledgeable and near dragons for unexplainable reasons.  He would have been glad to be rid of the great oaf of a teacher back in his 5th year but he couldn't bring himself to pass up the chance of not having such a class.  He still disliked Hagrid very much but the man knew his dragons.  This made him "tolerable" in Draco's book.  

"Malfoy!  Yer' here early!"  Hagrid said in surprise stepping out of his hut.  

"You know me, I like to get a head start.  I'm 'learn-guy.'"  

Hagrid didn't seem fazed by Draco's sarcasm.  Instead he talked on.  

"Well I've got some news fer yeh all.  Took sum convincin' on my part, but Dumbledore came to an agreement."  

This got the better of Draco's curiosity, but he had to wait until the rest of the class arrived before finding anything out.  Ron Weasley, Harry Potter, Seamus Finnigan, Hannah Abbot, Susan Bones; he was in a class full of every other house except his own.  His odds were never good in this class.  Though he thought he played his cards well, he behaved most of the time.  He didn't want to get into trouble and be dismissed from the class so he had to work on not attacking anyone verbally.  He smiled to himself as he eyed some of the girls in the class.  All of them had once been under his body-or on top of it-and they had no idea.  It was kind of an odd feeling to realize he slept with so many girls.  He always asked himself, "_Why don't I care?"  He figured it was because of the memory spells.  It was as if he was in disguise.  The Dark Phantom who only walks and fucks at night.  He knew he was going to be rather fond of that description.  _

"Glad to see yeh all here.  I've got some wonderful news.  Dumbledore had given me permission to take yeh all to Romania on a class field trip for a week.  We'll be staying in Charlie Weasley's care who is gonna' give us all hands-on experience.  Ms. McGonagall will be sending permission slips out to yer parents."  

Draco couldn't believe it.  He never expected something like this and he held back his whoop of joy.  The class threw themselves into an uproar and it was only when Draco had returned back to his dorm that he stopped smiling.  On his bed lay two moving portrait pictures.  He groaned and sat down next to them staring.  One picture showed a girl with an over confident smile and her nose high in the air looking at him with disgust.  The other was of a younger looking female whose wide eyes blinked rapidly several times before making a decision and smiling up brightly at him.  Draco pursed his lips and thought - this was a reminder from his fellow Slytherin competitors, no doubt.  As if he didn't have enough to worry about anyway.

The girl in the photo who frowned at him was going to be his biggest challenge.  He severely disliked her and would no sooner screw Potter than her but he had no choice.  This was the girl he'd been dreading and that was the reason he had waited to use her last.  As for the other female, now that was a different story.  He had never given her much thought or a looksee.  He didn't know why either.  She was very attractive even if her relations looked like a group of wild hens.  He knew who she was but he didn't know much beyond that.  He knew he wouldn't enjoy bedding her either.  She was just as tainted as the other one.  "_Probably with Potter juice," he thought.  But no matter, here they were and he had to start now.  The newest players; Hermione Granger and Ginny Weasley._


	3. Chapter 3

**Title****: The Dating Game**

**Rating****: R******

**Keywords****: Draco/Ginny**

**Warnings****: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.**

**Summary****: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny**

**Authors Note:  Expect Chapter 4 Next Week!  Thanks again to Su!  You're my new bestest buddy!**

Target #1 - 5'6, brown hair, brown eyes, and skin like a brown paper bag.  _Brown noser is __a perfect term for this yuppie.  Draco studied the girl with vague interest as he poked at his bowl of soup twirling the noodles lazily around his fork.  The more he looked at her, the more flaws he found, which was never a good thing.  "__How the hell am I supposed to get Granger in bed?  She's so stiff - I'm surprised the buttons on her blouse aren't popping off yet."  He thought to himself.  He had decided it was time to buckle down and start working on finishing up his bet.  He kept telling himself that he was Draco Malfoy and he should have had __every girl by now.  The key to getting this to work out with Granger was to make her think he was a nice guy.  Right?  Wrong.  Yesterday he had purposely bumped into her while she had been making a dash for her classroom.  He had politely apologized and when he had started to help her pick up the books she had pushed him away.  Now __that had given him quite a shock.  Usually challenges proposed a thrill but that did depend on the person.  He wanted nothing more than to go over there and rip her out of the arms of that boyfriend of hers, Weasel, and drag her down into the dungeons.  _

He'd have to make it quick with her.  He didn't know if he could handle mud blood juices all over him.  At least not from this mud blood, it was too disturbing to think about even looking at her half the time.  

Okay, so he could admit it-while he was checking out the merchandise he did find she was well endowed which had simmered him down dearly.  Her smile was pretty and she wasn't an airhead, which could be considered a good thing.  But just the mere thought of her being Granger, the girl he had grown to despise more than any other, and the girl who had always gotten just one more point on essays and assignments than he did.  She was just as bad as Potter, continuously getting one up on him.  But he knew that silly grudges couldn't get in the way of what he had to do.  If he were smart he'd start what needed to be done _now.  _

*          *          *

"I'm going to kill Malfoy."

Draco sniggered as he listened to Ron rant from around the corner.  

"Calm down Ron, he was probably just plotting something evil and wicked for us.  I'm sure it had nothing to do with what you're thinking."  He heard Harry's comforting voice.

"H_onestly Ron, what you're saying is really disturbing."  Draco perked up when he heard Granger._

"Dammit, Hermione, I'm not going crazy!  Malfoy was checking you out all throughout lunch!  Plus you said he was actually _civil to you yesterday!  He's up to something and I'm not going to let him get away with screwing around with my girlfriend."  _

"You're overreacting."  Harry stated blandly.

"Why do you always have to be so optimistic?"  Ron's voice sounded tired and burnt out.

"Look, I don't know why you let Malfoy get to you.  If he even looks our way, you have a fit.  You need to stop this.  We're in our 7th year now; almost adults and you're still acting like we just arrived at Hogwarts.  Let go of these grudges, Ron, I have."  Draco thought this was almost too good to be true.  Granger wasn't actually defending him, but she was saying that she no longer cared about what he did.  There was no mention or sound of _hate in her voice.  He just might not have trouble with this at all.  _

*          *          *

"Working hard?"  Hermione almost toppled out of her seat when she felt warm breath near her ear.  

She turned around and to her astonishment Draco Malfoy was standing behind her.  She put on her best scowl and folded her arms.  This had been getting really weird; the past two weeks she had been running into Malfoy _everywhere!  Before breakfast, at Gryffindor's Quidditch practices, in the library practically everyday, at Arithmancy  classes where he had started sitting next to her, and she had even spotted him outside of the Prefects' bathroom numerous times!  Now here he was once again like a fly buzzing over her head - obviously paying her another problem in the back of the library.  "What do you want?"_

"Now that's not very nice Granger, you haven't got anything nice to say to your nice pal Draco?"  Draco smiled and sat down in a chair next to her.  

"Ha!"

Draco's smile grew even bigger and he scooted a bit closer to the girl.  "You've been in here every night this past week.  Your not worried about the N.E.W.T.S., are you?  Afraid I might beat you this time?"

"HA!"

"Hmm…maybe that's not it, eh?  Maybe you're avoiding that frightful boyfriend of yours.  I don't blame you Granger; he isn't much to look at.  Good hiding place though, he'd never think to come in here.  He has as much brains as a hippopotamus."

"Don't you _dare insult Ron!"  _

"It's true though, isn't it?  He could never keep up with the likes of you anyway…you're too smart for him.  He's not like us, top of the class…"

"What are you talking about, _us?  Don't put me in relation with scum like you, Malfoy.  You're giving yourself too much credit."_

Draco almost flinched back at the insult - instead he decided to laugh.  He casually put his arm around her and quickly learned what a mistake _that was.  A hand immediately came down across his cheek and walloped him good.  He gasped and pushed himself away from the girl.  "What the hell!"  Anger had risen into his voice and he did nothing to control it._

"Don't put your filthy Slytherin hands on me Malfoy!  I don't know what you're up to but don't think I won't find out."  She shouted gathering her things from the table.  "Just wait until I tell Harry and Ron about this- there going to have a field day with you!  I should have listened to Ron when he said you were up to something."  

Panic rising inside his chest, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to him before she could reach the exit of the library.  She almost screamed as she billowed straight into his chest, conking her nose on his collarbone.  Instead of waiting for her to say something he quickly pressed his lips to hers and held her tightly against him.  He wanted to vomit, really he did- kissing the Mudblood was the last thing he ever intended to do.  But he tried to make it for all it was worth, thinking about other girls who were more attractive and more…not Granger.  He grunted as she struggled against him trying to claw at his sides.  He pinned her arms to her waist as tight as he could as he attempted to deepen the kiss.  It was rather difficult considering she kept trying to bite him.  "_Usually they would __have given in by now…" he thought.  Thinking enough was enough, he rolled his eyes and pulled out his wand.  _

"FINE, Granger, you want to make it hard on yourself.  Fine.  But this isn't over, whether you remember that or _not.  _Obliviate_!"_


	4. Chapter 4

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.

**Summary**: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny

**Author's note**:  Chapter 4 is out!  Yay!  Let me once again bow to Su for editing for me.  Wonderful gal, in all seriousness, the next chapter will be up in a day or two-I wanna see those reviews!  (coughcough!)  Kidding just kidding!  Don't review me, I'm just being pitiful I know.  But do let me know what you think of the story so far.  I love ideas for it-and who knows; maybe someone can give me some inspiration or an idea to use in the story.  I'll let you all in on a little secret-I'm purely spontaneous when it comes to my stories.  When I write the chapters, the story goes with the flow with what mood I'm in.  It's very rare that I have my total plot planned out.  Now see here-I DO have a plot for this, an ending and what not.  Buuuuttttt-I'm sure you can understand that I'm not the best writer in the world and I definitely need some work.  (Purely the reason for writing classes of course!)  But the fact that you're still reading this makes me love you.  So spread your love, and tell me what I need to do to improve.  It's okay to be dirty and vicious-I'll probably cry, but at least you got the message out eh?  

P.S.  Next chapter is the smut chapter!  Watch out!  _Dun Dun Dun!!! ___

Target #2 - red hair, brown eyes, skin like milk; the spotted Weasley was a totally different approach.  He wanted to think of this one as "simple," like Granger, but that wasn't going to do.  She wasn't like her brothers - he supposed if Weasel had been born a female he might have some kind of resemblance to Ginny Weasley, but he wasn't, and he thanked the God everyday for that.  Her hair wasn't _just "red."  It was more of a dark auburn color, quite like her mother's.  Her eyes weren't __just brown like Granger's, they were a chocolate color, dark and deep, and he could almost imagine they'd be the type you'd get lost in.  She had the longest legs he had EVER seen, and he couldn't help but tell himself they would be __very nice wrapped around him.  Her laugh that could be heard all the way from across the Great Hall was very contagious.  He could feel the sides of his mouth starting to twitch upwards and had to quickly stop himself.  He knew he shouldn't be moving off his intended target.  It was better to work on one girl at a time and Granger still had not submitted to him.  _

He had to use the memory spell on her twice already.  Absolutely nothing was working - every angle he came up with she got around.  He was beginning to think force was going to be the only way to get her into his bed.  But the delays gave him a chance to size up the last element of his game, and he had a feeling this one wouldn't be as difficult.  He had never seen someone so nice before.  The youngest Weasley was sitting in between her idiot brother and the clumsy whore of Gryffindor, Neville Longbottom. Obviously the pudgy bastard had taken a liking to her and was using dubious attempts of hitting on her, making a very laughable scene indeed.  

He adverted his attention back to Granger.  She had no knowledge of anything that had come across the two of them, not even when he ran into her, causing all of her books to fall.  She looked completely content and normal and he wanted desperately for that to change.  He wanted to see her scream for mercy beneath him and then scream for more of what he could give her.  He'd make her pay for all this trouble…

*          *          *

_Meet me in the kitchens at midnight tonight.  Don't mention this to anyone._

_Ron._

Hermione blushed and sunk deeper into her chair as she reread the note.  There wasn't much to go off on but she had a feeling of what Ron was planning.  They had both talked about getting serious and she had a feeling that tonight would be the night he would want to do something about it.  

When a quarter to midnight arrived she crawled out of bed being careful not to wake up any of her dorm mates.  She had half a mind to scold Ron for having her sneak out so late at night; chances of getting caught by Filch the night before a big test were high, but she thought the better of it.  She had a huge soft spot for Ron and she would probably be too nervous to say much anyway.  Her feet felt like lead as she ran down to the kitchens.  When she reached them she was in for a big surprise.

"Ron?  Are you in here?" she whispered.

The kitchens were empty, and there were no signs of house elves anywhere.  She sniffed softly and closed the painting gently behind her stepping into the darkness.  She lit her wand and gasped softly at a cloaked figure that suddenly appeared in front of her.  The hood covered the face but she knew it must be Ron.  He was probably blushing like a tomato under the cloth and she couldn't help but smile.  "Ron…why did you want to meet here?"  

He didn't say anything and when she cocked her head to the side in curiosity, he held out his hand to her.  "Ok…what is this about?"  

Again, she didn't get her answer.  She sighed dramatically, giving in, and took his hand.  That was when it clicked inside her head.  These hands _weren't Ron's!  She tried to pull her hand out of his grip, but to no avail as her captor had caught on way before.  Instead he covered her mouth and started dragging her deeper inside the kitchens with incredible strength.  She kicked and tried screaming but it went without response.  A moment later she found herself being slammed against a wall, her hands pinned above her with a whispered spell that came from a very familiar voice.  She struggled, trying to kick her feet out, but the other person just took this as an advantage and slid in between her legs.  __Oh God!  I'm going to be raped!  She couldn't help but panic and when she tried to scream no sound came out.  _

"It didn't have to be this way Granger.  It really didn't…now you know…" long fingers slid inside her robe and down the sides of her nightgown.  "The whole point is…that you submit to me.  I've tried and tried to win you over, unpleasant as it is, but you won't give in.  You will now…even if I have to force it on you.  But by the end of this you _will be begging me for more."_

That drawl was none too familiar.  "Malfoy!" she exclaimed in shock.  

There was no answer and instead she felt warm lips on her neck.  She shuddered and wanted to scream for dear life, but no sound came out of her mouth.  Malfoy was on her like she was an ice cream cone, licking and biting, as if wiping her clean for him.  She moaned loudly half in pleasure, half in agony as he devoured.  Her breathing had quickened and so had his, obviously keeping her there was a struggle and it showed.  "I think we should continue this in my room Granger, what do you think?"

Before she got a chance to respond Malfoy had taken control.  "_Petrificus Totalus!"_


	5. Chapter 5

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.

**Summary**: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny

**Author's note**: Chapter 5!  The smut chapter.  I want to thank all my reviewers and supporters.  I'll post Chapter 6 very soon!  I also just want to give a fair warning to those who don't like R/NC-17 stuff.  I don't believe its quite NC-17 in here, but I better be safe.  

P.S. I sort of suck at writing smut- so don't expect high quality here.  But I guarantee I will get better!

Draco stood over the stunned figure smirking for all he was worth.  When he performed the counter spell, she had immediately gone into a huge bitch fest.  Draco just kept on smirking and watched as she tried to leave the room.  She tugged on the doorknob, and her panic grew when she saw Draco twirling her wand between his fingers.  

"Looking for this, pet?"  

"Give that back!"

"Oh yes…so you can hex me.  Right, how much of an idiot do you take me for, Granger?"  Draco drawled.

"Just wait until I get out of here.  You're not going to get away with this.  You'll have to kill me to get me not to tell!"  

"Empty threats.  Why don't you just take a seat on the bed?  I promise this will be worthwhile if you just let me do what I want.  It doesn't have to be long…"  

Draco knew she was feeling defeated when her bottom lip started to quiver.  As if she was cold she rubbed her arms up and down and backed away against the door to his personal room.  "Malfoy…please…just let me go."

"I can't do that."  

This really wasn't doing a lot for his ego here.  Granger was looking at him with a look of utmost disgust on her face, and he would almost be offended if she wasn't such a stupid Mudblood.  Figuring he'd have to coax her, he found himself standing above her, gently running fingers down her cheek.  To his amazement, when he tried to kiss her she jumped at him, clawing her fingers at his face and kicking him with all the strength she had.  "Calm down!" he shouted, forcing her down onto his bed.

"Calm down!  Get off me!  Get off me Malfoy!  I don't want your filth on me!"

"You say that now.  You just wait!"  He muttered a spell that bonded her hands to the bedpost (a tricky little thing that comes quite in handy).  

She whined in protest when she found herself not being able to move at all.  He quickly took action, kissing her down her neck again, biting gently at her collarbone and running his fingers through her slightly bushy hair.  "Please…no more…"

"You're liking this I know you are."  

"No…"  

He lifted her nightgown up and chuckled when he saw that she wore absolutely nothing but a pair of skimpy panties underneath.  He passed them planning on making a visit later and lazily began licking her breasts.  Her protests for him to stop only made him enjoy this way more…challenges - no matter how annoying - were always fun.  "Tell me you like this Granger…" Draco instructed, biting very softly at a nipple.  

He didn't get a response so he moved down south, holding down her legs as he kissed around her thighs and over her panty line.  Her breathing was coming in soft, hoarse gasps now and she had stopped moving completely.  Taking this as a good sign, he stripped her of the rest of her dignity and began the _ultimate torture.  At the first feeling of being free her body shuddered and she had gasped softly.  Draco ran his tongue up her clit and she cried out.  "I don't think you've ever been touched like this have you?  Weasel not putting out?"  _

"Shut up about Ron!"  She tried to shout out but the feelings that Draco knew he was producing kept her voice quiet and withdrawn.

He chuckled again finding this very amusing.  Funny, he was so sure she was nothing but a virgin.  If only the Weasel knew that he was going to touch her before he even did.  Too bad he couldn't use it against them…sometimes the rules of the game only made things less fun.  He inserted a finger inside her and she moved her legs under his grip and begged him to stop.  Ignoring her, he quickly began working at her clit and adding fingers one by one inside her until he had three comfortable inside.  "Tell me to stop now Granger…"

"Stop…" She cried.

"All right…" He said, pulling away.

"NO!  Oh god…stop…wait no…" He knew she was feeling extremely empty without having him there.

"You want me to finish?" he asked innocently, looking down into her watery brown eyes.

"Yes…" She groaned and turned her head away from him.

"You have to look at me when you say that," he ordered.

  
She looked at him.  "Please just finish."

Feeling triumphant he discarded all of his clothing.  "What…what are you doing?" she asked in shock as she eyed him up and down.

  
"What?  Don't you like my body?"  He turned from side to side showing off his lean muscles.  

When he said that she blushed and looked away from him again.  "This is going to be a bit painful at first…but you'll start to enjoy it after awhile."

Knowing what was coming she had tensed all over.  "It's going to hurt more if you don't relax," he instructed.

As if he had put a numbing spell on her she let her body sink into the sheets.  He positioned himself over her body and gently thrust inside her.  Her cries grew a bit louder at the feeling of having him there and they continued on until she had started to feel more pleasure with the pain.  He had started to pump gently wanting to just get her to cum and get it over with more than anything, but he knew better than to rush virgins.  He braced his arms on the sides of her and began kissing her neck again to help her forget some of the pain.  He smiled when her hips started to meet his thrusts and it wasn't long after that she came.  He came soon after and fell over on top of her.  He got her out of the bonding that held her to bed and lay next to her.  "Told you…you'd like it," he panted quietly.

His eyes widened when he didn't get a response.  She had fallen into a deep slumber and was snoring softly next to him.  He shook his head and muttered, "Gryffindors…"  


	6. Chapter 6

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.

Summary: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny

Authors note: Well it's definitely been a crazy year…that's how long it's been right? Since I've updated?  I apologize crazily for not updating, especially when I already had chapters written.  The main reason why I never got around to it was because I was waiting for my beta to edit all of my chapters.  I had planned on redoing the first five as well, but when I reread them I decided that there really isn't any point, at least not until I finish the story.  I wrote this chapter…gosh…at least five or six months ago.  I'm posting the next chapter right after this one as well.  Please forgive me, and I'll try harder to write faster, because I admit, my not updating this was very ridiculous, especially since I have so much free time on my hands now.  (Not having a job does that to ya.)  Thanks again for all the reviews!

A/N 2:  Draco may seem very out of character in this first part with his conversation with Pansy, but hey-everyone needs one weakness eh?  Pansy is his.  Instead of an annoying, evil Pansy-what if she was more than that?  I've decided to write her a lot differently in this story, and this is how I like her; Very un-clichéd and nice.
    
    "You'll never believe what Malcolm said to me the other day."
    
    "I'm afraid to ask."
    
    "He's talking about what he plans to do when he wins all that money from you.  He's boasting left and right.  Making promises of diamonds and a big wedding after graduation for the two of us."
    
    Draco groaned and let his face fall into the palm of his hand.  "And do you know what I did?"
    
    "Pansy..." Draco started with a warning tone.
    
    "I laughed.  That's what I did.  I looked him straight in the eyes and laughed.  Loudly too. You should have seen it, his mouth dropped and he had the nerve to look hurt about it."  She finished with a haughty voice while examining her polished nails.
    
    A smile forced its way past Draco's lips and he chuckled.  "You're kidding me."
    
    "No.  I'm not.  He of course, became very cross with me.  But I just shrugged him off- he has to understand you "only" have one girl left.  I'm sure the littlest Weasley will not be a problem for my dearest friend."
    
    "Paddock still has problems accepting that you like me more than him does he?"  Draco said amused.
    
    "Yes.  He has some idea that him being my fiancé' qualifies him as first in line.  But he has to understand that I love you Draco," to emphasize her point she walked over and sat down on her friend's lap giving him a soft kiss on the cheek.  "You were after all the first man in my life, I want you to be the last."
    
    "Only I could be so lucky to have a best friend like you."  Draco mused kissing the top of her hand.
    
    Smiling Pansy retreated back to her own seat and picked up a book.  "So when are you planning on seducing your next assignment?"
    
    "I don't know.  I haven't initiated anything yet.  I'm still trying to come up with a good plan on how to do it.  I have to admit, I am a bit worried-"
    
    "Draco Malfoy?  Worried?  This is new."
    
    "Serious here.  Your boyfriend will no doubt try to sabotage this."
    
    "Oh Draco your being silly.  You know that's against the rules of this game."
    
    "Well yes that's true.  But telling you was against the rules too, and see how that worked out?"
    
    Pansy sighed and rolled her eyes.  "Alright, your probably right about Malcolm, he is so set on seeing you lose I admit."  She finished quietly.
    
    "Yes.  What if he succeeds?  I don't know if I could handle the consequences.  Especially since I've come this far.  I need that money Pansy."
    
    "Don't stress.  If Malcolm knows what's good for him he won't try a thing.  If he does, he'll know it'll cost him me and he adores me way too much to let that happen."
    
    "You'll take care of it?"  Draco asked hopefully.
    
    "Anything for you."
    
    *             *             *
    
    She looks so innocent...Draco thought to himself as he leaned back in his chair.  He watched as the younger girl flicked a strand of loose hair out of her eyes before bending back over to write something onto her parchment.  He had been sitting in the same spot in the library for more than an hour watching her, not taking any care to avert his gaze.  She had looked up numerous times to find him staring at her and he knew she was beyond confused.  She left him in puzzlement and he didn't like the idea of not knowing what to do.  Smart, funny, always happy, the nicest person he'd ever seen-it was almost sickening.  He kept thinking to himself that if only there hadn't been another Weasley child born he would never have had this trouble.  Granger would have been the last...
    
    "Don't get any perverse ideas about my sister Malfoy."
    
    Draco was surprised to having been caught nonetheless by the Weasel himself.  He must've gotten more carried away than he thought.  "Weasley, can I help you?"
    
    "No.  I just don't want you going near my sister.  It's bad enough you were making goo goo eyes at my girlfriend."
    
    "I would never look at that filth Weasley, so I'd stop while you're ahead."
    
    "What's that supposed to mean!"
    
    "Read in-between the lines."
    
    "I'm going to kill you, and I don't need a wand to do it!"  Ron shouted rolling up the ends of his sleeves to his elbows.
    
    By than the whole of the library were watching them with keen interest, and go figure Madame Pince was nowhere to be found.  "What are you going to do?  Fight me?  That'll come real good to Dumbledore when they find out that you hit me for no apparent reason."
    
    "You're being smart that's what!  Trying to get under my skin!  I won't take this crap from you Malfoy!"
    
    "Ron!  What are you doing?"  Draco looked up to see that Ginny Weasley had come over, and was whispering frantically at her brother looking from both Draco to Ron.  
    
    "It's nothing for you to worry about Gin, just let me handle this."  Ron growled never taking his eyes off of Draco.
    
    "Ron..." Ginny's hands found his shaky arms and gently lowered them.  "You don't want to start this...I don't know what your upset about, but this isn't the place or time."
    
    To Draco's chagrin Ron had ceased and almost immediately relaxed though still never taking his gaze off of him.  With a huff the taller, larger boy grabbed hold of his younger sisters arm and dragged her back to her table.  Draco watched the scene with numb interest.  He noticed the angry exchange between the two of them, the little Weasley motioning wildly with her hands, full of exuberant energy.  But of course the Weasel gave as good as he got, and the two of them were soon thrown into their own heated argument, and Draco, far beyond caring whether or not he had made a step forward into Virginia Weasley's good graces or not left the library without a second glance back.  
    
    *             *             *

Draco took his time packing his belongings.  Ignoring the slightly jealous looks from Crabbe, Goyle, and Zabini.  It had finally come to the week of the field trip for Draco's Dragon Study class and he had been walking on clouds for the past few days, which was pretty much just Draco easing up on the insults to the younger, stupider students.  But everyone seemed to notice the difference about him and no one wanted to ruin the peace.  It was mid-February, just right before mating season for the Dragons, so Hagrid had promised a very good, and busy time for the students.

"You'll be back in a week right?"  Crabbe's deep voice sounded slightly ruffled.  

"Of course."  Was Draco's response.

"Will you…you know…" Draco turned around to face Zabini who was giving him a queer eye.  "I mean, think going on this trip will ruin your chances with the Weasley chick?"  

Draco almost laughed but composed himself and instead shrugged.  "I doubt anything could ruin _my _chances."  Draco drawled.  

But Draco hadn't felt so confident after he left the room, his luggage floating behind him as he headed out to the Great Hall.  He hadn't seen much of the girl in weeks, and when he did his mind just went blank.  He had no idea how to approach her…he had decided a few days ago that he was probably just afraid that she'd smile at him to death.  She NEVER stopped smiling; it was sort of annoying, happy people just got on his nerves.  It was just Draco's luck of course that Ginny and Granger were standing around with Potter, Finnigan, Thomas, and the Weasel, no doubt to see them off.  Just as Draco suspected, Ginny was eyeing Potter with a gentle sort of look that Potter ignored, oblivious to the admiration he was receiving.  Instead he joked around with the Weasel, the two of them playfully punching each other.  

What Draco didn't expect was for Ginny Weasley to catch his eye, and hold the gaze.  The two stared at one another, Ginny looking skeptical, and Draco no doubt knew he looked smug.  They stood like that for a moment and than as if fireworks just went off, she smiled.  A bright smile that lit up her whole face and for once in Draco's life…it seemed as if someone was happy to see him.  _What the hell-?_  That was his first thought when the girl cast a wary look at her brother and Potter who were still not paying her any attention before she walked over to where Draco was standing.  Her eyes sparkling with what seemed like mischief and laughter.  She scarily looked like her twin brothers when she did that.  "Hey Malfoy."  Her tone was teasing.  

Draco graced her with a curt nod, but he was shocked to say the least.  "I'm sorry about my brother.  I know he doesn't like you, but it doesn't give him the right to pick fights."

"You're apologizing for your brother?"  Draco gave her an incredulous look, than added.  "Spare me."  

Expecting a snappy retort from the redhead he was disappointed.  Instead she just smiled right back at him, tilting her head slightly as if trying to read him.  "I just wanted to wish you a good trip.  It won't be easy going on it with all those Gryffindors."  

Draco said absolutely nothing in response to this and instead folded his arms and glared at her.  What _was _he doing?  This was the perfect chance to butter up to the girl and he was just giving her the cold shoulder!  _Do something Draco!_  He screamed at himself, but nothing came out.  "Well, take care."  With that she turned and walked back to her friends who were all looking at her now with a mix of curiosity and anger on their faces.  


	7. Chapter 7

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Extreme sexual interactions-don't read if you can't handle it.

Chapter 7

Summary: Draco was part of a game- a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end of it drew near. If he didn't succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more? Draco/Ginny

Authors note: I wasn't sure why I didn't post chapter 6 and 7 right away, especially after I reread them.  I hope you enjoy!  

The week had gone by way too fast for Draco, and when he had arrived back at Hogwarts he wasn't as satisfied as he had hoped he would be.  He had fought endlessly with most of the Gryffindors, and more with the Weasel than ever.  Particularly out of jealously of course, Charlie Weasley had proven to be beyond just any regular Weasley and put the rest of his family to shame.  Charlie Weasley had been one of the coolest people he had ever come across, and Charlie had seemed to take a liking to Draco right from the start.  Draco had never met someone else who had that same vigorous passion for dragons as he did.  The Weasel had spent the whole week trailing after Charlie and Draco, assuming that Draco was going to hex his older brother.  When the week had come to an end and after many fights later, Charlie had finally put his little brother in his place much to Draco's vast amusement.  Charlie was definitely high on his "favorite" people list.  With promises to keep in touch Draco and Charlie parted on great terms.  Though the trip home on the Hogwarts Express had been aggravating.  Potter and his pals were extra loud in the compartment next to Draco's, playing Exploding Snap, and lighting off Filibuster Fireworks.

When they arrived back at the school Draco had made a huge show of being tired in order to avoid the "welcome back" committee, and found his place in his dungeons.  He slept the evening away and didn't wake up until late the following morning.  

*          *          *

"Draco Malfoy.  You haven't said more than two words to me the whole day."  Pansy pouted, her arms folded across her bursting chest.  

Draco rolled his eyes but smiled softly, trying to reassure her in someway.  "Draco.  What's wrong?"  Pansy's voice held concern now and Draco almost snorted in disgust. 

"Don't start wallowing on about my well-being Pansy.  You know how much I hate that."  Draco said.  

"I just want to know about your trip.  You haven't told anyone of it yet.  Was it scary?  Fun?  Did you tease those crooked Gryffindors to tears?  Come on, share, make me proud eh?"  Draco lowered his eyes as he listened to Pansy crone.  He loved her, he did, but he was in the strangest mood that day, and talking about the trip was the last thing on his mind.

"I'll tell you later."  Draco risked looking at his friend, shooting her his solemn look and she softened like butter.  "I promise."  

The rest of the day went much the same way, his friends trying to talk with him and getting no response from Draco.  Truth was, he was worried.  He had planned on already being done with the bet by now, and there was Ginny Weasley, still beautiful and untouched by any man, only fifty feet away from him.  She was sitting outside in the grounds on a bench by herself, looking through a Magical Healing Text and completely unaware of her surroundings.  Draco had been surprised when he saw her outside by herself though he pretended that he hadn't seen her and made a spot for himself under a willow tree, skimming through his Potions book.  Draco had a pretty good idea of what was going to happen as soon as the crowd left the grounds to head back inside.  It was right than that Ginny seemed to come out of her trance and notice him.  Her eyes lit up and Draco felt his stomach flip-flop.  _God…this is sickening._  Draco hoped he wouldn't start spouting sonnets.  "What's this?  A Malfoy?"  Ginny feigned a fake gasp as she stood before him, grinning from ear to ear.  "I think I've just found me the catch of the day.  Good Afternoon."  

Draco blinked.  _Was she teasing?_  Without asking, she sat down on the grass right in front of him.  When he didn't say anything she went on talking.  "So, reading Snape's Potions book huh?  I already read that one.  You wouldn't believe me, but I'm a natural at potions. Though Snape would never admit it, he hates me."  Draco looked pointedly at her.  She jumped slightly and pulled something out of her book bag.  "It's obvious why of course."  She pointed to her red hair.  

Draco just nodded, looking at her keenly, as if unsure of what to make of her.  "You know, you could speak to me.  It won't hurt."  Ginny said finally.

"You're very strange."  Draco said.

That was followed by lapsed silence before Ginny fell into a fit full of giggles.  The giggles went on, and on and on!  It wasn't before long that Draco felt the edges of his mouth quirking up slightly.  Her laugh was really funny.  "What."  Draco tried to sound offended but it came out more amused.  

"You're just really funny you know that?"  

"I'm…funny."  Draco repeated slowly.

Ginny nodded.  "Yes.  Funny.  As in amusing, comical, ridiculous…" Ginny trailed off.

"Ridiculous!"  Draco exclaimed.

"Hey- want to do me a favor?"  

Draco was taken back.  "A favor?"  He said with disbelief.  

"Yes, a favor."  Ginny repeated.

"Let's get this straight, you insult me, than ask for a favor?"  

Ginny nodded eagerly in answer.  "Now who's being ridiculous Weasley?"  

_DRACO!  WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!  _That same voice was back again and angrier than before, the girl was back and trying to start up a conversation with him and he was still brushing her off.  _Four million Galleons…Four million Galleons!_  His head kept chanting.  "Alright don't say anything.  Just listen.  This is your last year, along with Harry and Ron.  That means there are openings on the Quidditch team.  They'll be holding try outs next year, and whether my family will believe me or not, Quidditch is always something I've been interested in.  I think I have talent…but I'm not sure.  Would you train me?"  

This was all said so fast that Draco almost missed it.  Or maybe he was just completely out of it and he _thought _she was talking fast.  The obvious response came.  "Why me?  Why not Potter or your brother?"  

Ginny let out a snort of laughter at that.  "Are you kidding me?  Harry or Ron?  They would never give me the time of day.  Not for something like this, and Ron doesn't believe I can do anything that resembles a sport.  I just need more of a spotter, someone to give me tips.  I fly all the time back at home, but I'd really like to get some more experience."  

Here was Ginny Weasley, the youngest of the mud-blood lovers, offering him "time" to spend with her.  The most perfect opportunity for him.  Of course what else could he say to her but yes?

*          *          *

…After much _pleading _and _begging _on Ginny's part of course.  

Draco turned the favor around to his own advantage and made Ginny promise not to tell her pals about their sessions and she was to do his Potions homework for a whole month.  Ginny had chosen not to complain (a relief to Draco, and what he thought was a common Weasley trait), and they started their "practice" the very next week.  Draco was surprised when he saw Weasley's "Nimbus 5000", a model just below the first "_Firebolt"_.  When she saw his expression her response was light.  "Two full summers of saving for this baby.  Ron laughed when he saw it."

Deciding to not reply, he wasted no time and ordered her to do some laps to see how she flew.  Her technique was okay, but no doubt it needed some serious work.  The first thing he said to her was, "You need to practice much more.  Don't let your arse of a brother get the better of you.  Practice."  He handed her broom back to her and than swept off the field, leaving her standing behind.

*          *          *

Weeks flew by and Draco was still working with Ginny on Quidditch training.  He was also receiving fairly good marks in Potions class, nothing new, but at least Ginny hadn't been lying about her skills in Potions.  The two of them could usually be found (if anyone ever bothered to look, which was never) out on the Quidditch field very early in the mornings before any of the other teams came out to practice, to avoid confrontations of course.  There had been a close call in their first week of training, which forced Draco to take them out earlier, when dawn just barely hit the tips of the mountains.  Ginny and Draco had been doing laps around the Quidditch field together, well actually they had been racing, Draco testing Ginny's speed, threatening her that he would stop the training if she didn't beat him.  They never got to finish the race for flashes of Scarlet and Gold had started piling out of the building, easy for the two of them to see from up in the air.  

"Hurry!  Hit the ground!"  Draco had shouted, dipping the end of his broom and landing gracefully near the broom shed.  

Ginny on the other hand had attempted Draco's move and had put on a less graceful show than Draco.  She had practically toppled off her broom and got tangled up in her bristles.  Draco had had to drag her into the broom shed, the two of them just barely getting out of sight.  Thanks to Ginny they had clumsily found an empty storage closet that was usually used for Broom Serving Tools and hid.  It was the perfect time for Draco to make a move…the two of them pressed against one another, Draco's hand covering Ginny's mouth in order to muffle her harsh breathing.  His own breath blowing on her neck, causing goose pimples and the small hairs just above her shoulders to stand up.  Draco had bent his head low and nuzzled his nose against her exposed collarbone, inhaling her scent.  Strawberries and grass from the Quidditch field.  Ginny had shivered against him and he felt her eyes flutter shut against one of his fingers.  He hadn't been able to resist kissing her earlobe, but that was when he figured he had taken things a step too far.  Ginny's hands had found his, one grabbing the one off her mouth, the other taking hold of the one on her waist.  She had turned to look at him as best she could and shook her head at him, and he could just barely make out her expression in the dark confinement.  The expression was grave and held what seemed to be a hint of worry.  Though when they had finally been able to escape their hiding place it was as if the incident never happened.  Ginny was all smiles and laughter again, bouncing around happily at the fact that they had almost been caught.  Did she ever run out of energy?  

Apparently not, and pretty soon she was zooming past Draco and his Firebolt, which didn't please him very much.  Ginny's technique was growing as well as their would-be _friendship_.  If that's what he could call it.  Draco had confined in Ginny a bit, telling her about his relationship with Charlie, Ginny being the first person he told about his trip to Romania (must to Pansy's disappointment.)  Ginny had actually seemed happy for him, and not at all upset over his friendship with Charlie.  How could the Weasel and Ginny be so different?  Draco made a point of asking her just that.  

The two of them were taking a swift break near the Whomping Willow, about a quarter of a mile away from the Quidditch Field.  They talked while they watched the Ravenclaw team practice.  "So it's between you and Gryffindor again this year."  Ginny pointed out.

Draco frowned.  "Don't remind me."  

"Why not?"

"I don't like thinking about how once again Potter's just going to whisk away with all the glory."  Draco's tone was feverous.  

Ginny was shocked.  "Are you serious?  Am I actually hearing this?  Coming from Mr. Big Head?"  She said as she sat up.  "I mean I know you're sinister, but this is beyond your usual countenance."  

"Gee thanks."

"I'll be cheering for you."  

Draco smirked.  "Yeah, right."

"I'm serious."  Ginny smiled.  "Could you imagine the look on Ron's face?  Seeing me waving a Slytherin flag?"

"You'd only be doing it to make Potter jealous.  I'm not stupid."

"Actually, I just thought green suited me better then gold."

Draco wasn't amused.  "You never stop making jokes."

"Now you're exaggerating."  Ginny said.

"Maybe I am."  Draco shrugged.

Ginny let out a sigh, than did something else that Draco added to the list of "Weasley unexpectedness."  She laid a comforting hand on his shoulder.  "I like Harry.  I do.  But I've been realizing that if his worst enemy is willing to spend more time with me than he is, and he's _supposed_ to be my friend, than something is wrong.  I hope the game is fair, and that for once you do get a victory."

"You wouldn't care if Gryffindor lost?"  Draco asked.

Ginny shook her head.  "Hey, it's not my year, remember?  After I get on the team next year, than I'll care if Gryffindor wins or not.  As you said, it would just be another stupid victory for Harry Potter."

"So sure of yourself aren't you?  What if you don't make it on the team next year?"

"Oh.  I will."  

"What makes you say that?"

"I had a good teacher."  Ginny grinned knowing she had caught Draco off guard with a compliment.  "Plus, I'm a shoo in."

"You've been hanging out with me way too much."  Draco said with a slight chuckle.

"Yes, you're extremely hazardous.  I think I'm picking up "Malfoy" traits.  I actually found myself telling a bunch of second years off yesterday for walking to slow in the hall.  You're going to ruin my reputation."  

"What reputation?"  Draco reputed, only to receive a forceful shove that caused him to fall onto his back.  The two stared at each other, amusement dancing in their eyes like blazing fires.  "How come you're nothing like the Weasel?"

"What do you mean by that?"

"You're nothing alike."  

"Maybe you just haven't been looking close enough."  

"I see a lot more than you think."  Draco said softly.

It had been tense after that.  "Ron's like my mum.  He has a harsh temper, and gets riled up easily.  You unnerve him, and he feels like he has to attack.  My dad is more mellow, he doesn't like to pick fights."  

  
Draco was briefly reminded of his second year when Lucius, his father, had started a fight with Arthur Weasley in Flourish and Blotts bookstore.  "I'm the same way."  Ginny finished.

Draco watched the younger girl intently, studying her without shame.  Ginny just watched him as his eyes roved over every point in her face, his eyes seeming to penetrate straight past her skin.  Draco was beginning to notice tiny things that weren't there before; a small freckle on the tip of her nose, barely noticeable in the midst of all the other freckles but if you looked close enough it beamed at you.  Her smile was a bit crooked, and that was something he felt he should have picked up from the beginning, considering the girl seemed to never stop smiling.  She also had a tendency to bite her bottom lip when she was deep in thought about something, as she was doing right at that very moment.  Draco should've considered the characteristics to be flaws, but he found them to be quite the opposite…


	8. Chapter 8

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he didwould he lose something more?

Authors note: ... *blinks*... *stares*... *cough* I know there are many people out there who want to flog me. I can name several fanfic (and some non-fanfic) authors off the top of my head that I would enjoy flogging for unfinished work as well. I have no explanation... other than life. I forgot I had even written this story. I cannot believe that it has been almost eight years since I last wrote. But when I reread it tonight it ignited that old flame... and so here is Chapter Eight... almost eight years later? I hope my writing has matured. I hope the feeling of the story has not changed because of how much time has passed... but it certainly could have. I feel so old now... looking at all the reviews... seeing how I used to write. But I felt some joy tonight as I picked up the pen again and continued. I realize also that this story is probably forgotten... but at least I will have the satisfaction of finishing it soon. Thank you everyone for all the wonderful reviews and Im sorry I did not see them sooner. It has seriously been almost six years since I have been on . But it was your reviews that spurred me to finish. Thank you.

I also realize that this fic is now considered AU. And upon rereading the first seven chapters I also realized that I must have forgotten that Malcolm Baddock is several years younger than the Harry Potter generation. Oops. But I wont change anything, I will finish it as it was meant to be finished regardless of canon.

* * *

Draco was alone in the Slytherin common room. He was comfortably seated next to the fire in the largest armchair. He ignored the sharp pain under his jaw where the knuckles of his hand dug deep. He had skipped dinner and it was not the first time. He had been finding himself in this chair, in this exact position almost every night this week. What is wrong with you? He asked himself, his delicate looking fingers tapping almost impatiently on the table next to him.

He felt both empty and full at the same time. It had been almost a month of training Ginny. Almost three weeks since the last time he tried anything a.k.a. the _broom_ _shed incident_. He was furious with himself. But what frustrated him was that he wasn't exactly sure why. He was either angry that he had not succeeded with Ginny yet, or... he was angry that he was still even trying. The latter only caused his bad mood to increase. Of course he wasn't angry that he was still trying! He was angry he wasnt trying hard enough! It was as if his relationship (it almost hurt to use that word) with Ginny was hanging in limbo. It was neither moving forward nor backward. He just showed up like clockwork three mornings a week to teach Ginny Quidditch.

She would catch his eye across the Great Hall during every meal time and beam at him. Only very recently had Potter and the Weasel started to notice this. _Stupid dolts_. She had been paying him special attention for weeks. But she would never openly talk to him in the halls, or at meal times. She would just smile, and then as if she had been holding it all in she would let it all go during their morning sessions together. She would ask him all sorts of questions about himself; his life, his family, his desires. It was always too easy for him to answer. It was no secret that all Malfoys enjoyed talking about themselves. Ginny never had a problem getting him to talk.

Although... there were some things he could _never_ share with her. Like his family dealings with the Dark Lord... and... the bet. He hung his head using both hands to massage his aching temples. _The bet. The stupid bet. _If he were to be honest with himself he should have realized a long time ago that going along with this little game would eventually cause him some form of misery. It was true that being male the idea of getting to sleep with many different girls had appealed to him. It was after he successfully made his way through half of the required Hogwarts witches that he started to go numb. He never thought that sex could get boring. But it did.

After the first year the whole game had turned into a tedious chore. Now... there were only two months left. It had been a very long two years but he had come through. What had started as something that both seemed exciting and necessary had eventually become quite the opposite. _Well... it is still necessary._ He thought to himself.

Next to the lamp on the table was an opened letter from his father. In it were praises for his good marks in school and of course... what was still expected of him after graduation. He felt his gut churn a little. He had been so disgusted with the letter and knew that later that night he would burn it in his room just as he had done with all the others that had given mention of the Dark Lord. "So necessary." He said quietly to no one, his fingertips grazing the bottom edge of the parchment.

He had wished many times that his father would never have put him in this position. He could care less about what or who his father followed anymore but he despised being dragged into it. 'His Duty' his father would always tell him. He had felt enormous relief when his mother had informed him of his large trust fund. It was not as much as he was used to having, but after Hogwarts it would keep him afloat... at least for awhile. It was the stupid money that had started this whole thing. He had not been able to resist confiding in Pansy and as much as he loved her he should have known better. To most Slytherins money was as easy to come by as magic easily accessible and dispensable. Only Draco alone knew that was all he would have to his name in a few months.

He had never told Pansy why his mother had set it up for him. Everyone had just assumed it was an emergency fund of sorts and he was sure they thought he had several other vaults like it. So the money had been a game too. A gamble for Baddock and the other Slytherins involved. They themselves had large sums of galleons to play with it had become a sort of pool. Everyone involved had thrown in to match Draco's two million galleons. He could remember it as if it had been yesterday

_It was the first week of fifth year. Draco had just been through one of the worst summers of his life. It had only been a few weeks before that he had buried his mother. In her will she had left Draco a few things here and there but it was the letter he had received the morning of her funeral that held the most wealth. He had discovered then that his mother did not approve of the Dark Lord either. It had been her last wish that he, Draco, would not have to join the Death Eaters if he did not desire to. The letter had explained everything why she had left him the small fortune and how to acquire it. His father had been none the wiser. _

_"Draco, why do you keep reading that same letter over and over again?" Pansy broke through his deep thought._

_He deftly folded the parchment back up and slipped it back in his cloak. He leaned back and folded his arms, an uncharacteristic pose for a Malfoy. It was late in the Slytherin common room and Draco and Pansy were surrounded by Blaise Zabini, Malcolm Baddock, Crabbe, and Goyle. He looked up noticing that he had the rooms attention. Rolling his eyes, he saw no point in lying... too much. "My mother left me two million galleons. Its a trust fund. I can access it when I turn eighteen." _

_There was a moment of silence. "Is that all? I thought it would be something more important as you havent put that letter down since you arrived', Pansy laid a hand on Dracos arm. 'Not that I'm saying that your mother dying is not worth mulling overIm just surprised its about a trust fund."_

_I'm sure your father set one up for you as well. Blaise said keenly, as he admired his nails._

_Draco didn't say anything. "Hm... two million galleons... thats a vacation manor down South... not bad! It was Malcolm. He had a finger pressed to his lips looking deep in thought only breaking it eventually to look from Pansy to Draco._

_Draco pretended not to notice the look on Baddocks face and instead stared at Pansys robes."Hey Draco, did you see Hannah Abbott today? She kept looking at you during breakfast." Blaise pointed out._

_This shook Draco out of his stupor. "Pft. Are you trying to make me lose my dinner? How disgusting, Zabini."_

_Blaise smirked. "Well, I just thought you would be interestedsince apparently you are one of the last of us toshall we saytaste the more delicate sex?"_

_Draco almost lost his control completely but quickly caught himself and slammed his jaw back shut. His eyes were shooting daggers at Zabini though as small chuckles erupted around him. "Zabini has a point, Draco. Even Goyle had an experience over the holidays. Oddly it was my Great Aunt Winonabut, Malcolm shrugged. even the physically challenged need a little something special every now and then, right?"_

_Draco almost puked in his mouth. The imagery of Goyle and Winona Baddock was too horrifying. It was finally enough to force him to find his voice. "Are you suggesting that I Draco Malfoy am a virgin?"_

_Dracos eyes blazed with indignation. A small snort came from Pansy but he ignored that too. "A few snogs with Pansy in primary school do not count." Blaise pointed out._

_"I cant believe I am hearing this! I have already been with several witches! Tell them, Pansy!" He sat back and waved at Pansy with his hand to continue._

_Pansy smiled wickedly. He glared at her. It was a battle of wills and after a few moments Pansy caved and smirked. "Oh. Alright. Its true. Draco is not a virgin."_

_Malcolm almost balked. "You dont mean... you and him!"_

_"Oh darling, it was only once, before you. A year and a half ago."_

_"How could you not tell me about this?!" Malcolm exclaimed._

_Draco felt smug. This was becoming quite entertaining. Pansy rolled her eyes and waved him off. "The point- Malcolm, darling, is that Draco is not a virgin."_

_Before Malcolm could continue his tirade Blaise cut in. "Alright. So Pansy. But one girl only one time? Hardly much to brag about."_

_Draco scoffed. "Not just Pansy. There was another girl that summer, and two just this past. And I will have you know none of them had any complaints."_

_"Ha! Right!" Malcolm's voice had almost raised an octave and he was staring at Pansy with mad eyes. "Did you- have complaints?"_

_Pansy just smiled at her boyfriend and shrugged. Malcolm looked like he might turn a different color. Thankfully good pureblood genes kept him in line. Red faces were for Weasels only. "How about putting your money where your... experience lies?" Blaise asked._

_"I beg your pardon?" Draco sat up straighter._

_"Prove it. Your trust fund. If you are so bewitching to the opposite sex... I would be interested to see that in action." _

_Draco looked disgusted. "Ew."_

_"Not as in voyeurism, you git. Blaise pressed on. But if you are so confident in your skills...do you think you could have any witch in this school?" _

_Draco smirked. "Of course." Draco knew how attractive he was. _

_"Then prove it." Blaise hissed. _

_"I could have all of them." Draco drawled, carelessly flicking a piece of fluff off his arm._

_"I would throw in to see that. Two million galleons would buy you a lot of pretty dresses my dear." Malcolm said, looking at Pansy._

_Pansy looked delighted at the thought. Blaise got to his feet now, his dark eyes looking down at Draco. "All four of us together here will match your two million',_

_"We will?!" Malcolm cut in._

_"If your so good with the silly bints, I challenge you. I challenge you to sleep with every witch in Hogwarts. If you succeed... four million galleons are yours... nice chunk of change. If you lose... the four of us split it. One million galleons each sound good to all of you?" Blaise didnt even bother looking away from Draco to ask._

_Dracos heart almost stopped. On the tip of his tongue was a good laugh and witty retort, but something stopped him. Four million galleons was a lot more money than two million. His life would be a lot easier if his trust fund was doubled. But there was the slight possibility of failure and then he would have nothing. But being very young, arrogant, and competitive he pushed that thought from his mind. Getting paid to sleep with girls? How brilliant would that be? It would be almost too easy for him. Regardless of his Slytherin status he did know that most girls fancied him. It was too easy to hold his hand out to Blaise and say, "Deal."_

There had been rules of course. He couldn't just go around seducing first years and worst yet the likes of Professors McGonagall or Sprout. He had been satisfied with the 5th to 7th year rule and his limit of until graduation made it seem ridiculously easy. "Prat." He muttered to himself, glad no one was around.

He should have known better. If he had known then what he knew now. It wasn't that he knew he was not going to win the bet. It was that he had started to feel like he was losing himself. The past two years of his life had been nothing but scheming and shagging. None of it gave him satisfaction anymore. He felt hollow it all just seemed like his obligation - no longer fun and exciting. In the beginning he would share stories of his conquests with the others and it would be an amusement to all sharing who kissed the best, and who had what hidden beauty marks where. His reputation had soared after a few months as well among his fellow Slytherin's most of the wizards in his dorm viewed him as some sort of Sex God.

But eventually... it got old. For everyone. Blaise had already told Draco that the money was as good as his after he finally conquered Granger. It was only Malcolm who still stubbornly thought Draco wouldn't make it. Draco knew Malcolm had never really forgiven that he had slept with Pansy who last year became his fianc. Now here he was... two months away from complete freedom and he was stalling on the last witch.

He wanted to hex himself. He was completely aware that Ginny enjoyed his company. He could have had her weeks ago... but he had just... stopped. He realized that she made him comfortable. The only other girl he felt that way about was Pansy. It was as if he knew it was in the bag and he didn't need to rush. But this past week had been a sort of awakening. It had never taken him this long to sleep with a girl before. Even if he was completely disgusted with the idea he would eventually build up the nerve. But with Ginny... he felt like he couldn't just go about it like the others.

Not only did he discover that she was different from all the other witches, she was also the last. And that was symbolic. Once he was done with her... it would all be over.

Fitting that a Weasley would be the key to his freedom.


	9. Chapter 9

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: Whoa…I'm on a roll! Another chapter the very next day! I wrote part of this during my Journalism class. Ha. I'm giving myself a goal…finish this in two weeks! Good stuff to come, I'm sure!

"Looks like things are going well." It was Pansy who spoke, playing with the dangling bracelet on her wrist.

Draco looked up from his plate of food, his attention immediately directed to the Gryffindor table. Ginny appeared to be in conversation with Neville Longbottom, but between sentences she would look over at him. When she saw that he was looking she smiled. Draco looked back down at his plate – an almost tortured expression on his face. He couldn't decide whether her constant smiling was annoying or comforting. She had held true to her word and not told her stupid Gryffindor friends about their Quidditch sessions, but that did not stop her from always smiling at him – acknowledging his presence.

In the past month, after the first week of this, he had tried to stop paying attention to her table. It used to bring him delicious joy to 'visit' Saint Potter and his band of gits. He almost sighed as he recalled the pleasure in torturing Longbottom. He frequently enjoyed knocking the Weasel's food or drink onto Longbottom and then when the explosion started to come he would calmly tell Weasley that his juice had been sitting too close to the edge, his own fault. It had been ages since he had done anything of the sort. He told himself it was because he was sick of Ginny always looking at him. He didn't want to draw attention to the fact that they were spending time together.

But Ginny didn't seem to care at all. In fact, he was sure if he hadn't ordered her to keep their training a secret she would probably be boasting about a friendship… or some other horrible thing. But the truth was that he no longer had the energy. He was sure that if he continued his favorite pastime of torturing Potty and the Weasel it would cause strain with Ginny and he wanted to finish it. Soon. "Hello, Draco! Did you hear me?" Pansy was indignant. She did not like being ignored.

"Just thinking." Draco said.

Pansy did not reply at first. Instead she stared at him. For quite a long time. He pointedly kept looking straight ahead, occasionally taking a drink from his goblet. But after several minutes of the blatant staring his resolve broke. "Damn it, Pansy. _What_." He snapped.

"Why the hell haven't you done it yet?" Pansy's eyes were darkening.

"Excuse me?"

"You had Hermione Granger in bed in a week and she despised you. This Ginny Weasley seems to be –quite- taken with you and it's been over a month! You have never taken this long."

Draco smirked. "I needed a break. You don't understand the psychological damage that occurred after shagging the mudblood. I'm practically scarred for life."

Pansy didn't laugh. "Even so – what are you waiting for?"

This caused the witty retort Draco had just been about to unleash to die in his throat. His shoulders almost slumped…almost. Instead of answering her he got to his feet, his nose high in the air and swept out of the Great Hall.

* * *

"Good to see the littlest Weasel made it on time this morning." Draco greeted as Ginny came running up to him, broom in hand.

She looked flushed and had her trademark smile lighting up her face. "Yeah, see? I'm getting better with this whole waking up before dawn business."

"I wanted to say a few things before we started."

Ginny looked a little surprised. "Okay."

"This is going to be the last day I train you."

"What!" Ginny's eyes widened and she looked… he couldn't quite place it… but she almost looked frightened. "Why?!"

Draco shrugged, looking off into the distance at the Quidditch hoops. "It's just time."

Ginny was speechless for a few moments, he could tell she was trying to find something to say. "Am I… bothering you? Is it something else? Look, I know you hate my brother but I'm not him."

Draco looked at her now. His eyes took in her red hair watching as the wind blew strands of it against her cheek. She was no longer smiling. Her lips were pressed into a tight line and her brow was furrowed deeply. He had only ever seen her look that way when her brother annoyed her and it made him want to laugh. He almost felt bad from her reaction but knew that things needed to change. "I know you're not him." He responded softly. "If you want to know the truth it's that you don't need me anymore."

Ginny looked confused. "What? Of course I need you! I'm getting so much better at flying and it's all because of you! I was even thinking of joining the Gryffindor scrimmage next weekend – showing off the new moves you taught me… freak Harry and Ron out."

Draco did laugh now. He hated that she had made him smile and felt a trickle of warmth go down his spine. Somewhere deep in his changed mood he was angry with her for causing that reaction. "You still can. Think about it – you keep up with me every session now. You haven't dropped the quaffle in two weeks. You only missed the goal once – ever. You're ready."

Ginny was quiet for a few moments and he let her stare at him, her pink mouth open slightly in shock. He shuddered slightly in his robes and he couldn't be sure if it was from the wind or the way she was looking at him. He had thought a lot about what Pansy had said to him yesterday. _What are you waiting for?_ It was such a valid question. Pansy knew him so well. He hadn't come out of his dorm room last night to visit specifically to avoid her. He had spent the whole night thinking of an answer to her question. He, himself, had been wondering the same thing. But it was true, he had left himself fall into a comfortable routine with Ginny. There was nothing to stir up, no next step to take with their current arrangement. When he tried to answer the question the night before it had disturbed him to realize that what he had with Ginny –was- almost like a friendship. The past month they had spent together alone on the Quidditch field was filled with jokes, playful banter, and… he hated to admit it… but getting to know each other. He knew way more about the Weasley family than he had ever intended to know.

This was where things got complicated… dangerous. If he did successfully sleep with her in the next day or two, they had already spent so much time together that he knew erasing her memory would cause some serious holes and raise questions. A part of him, a part he didn't want to recognize also didn't like the idea of erasing her memory. He would never admit it, but there would always be a part of him that rejoiced in this time spent with her. He liked teaching. He liked it when someone obeyed every order he gave them. The best part was seeing the end result which was Ginny's almost flawless Quidditch skills. He wanted her to remember that it was he who helped her, and no one else. "Draco… I don't know what to say."

"You don't have to say anything. We should get going we're wasting valuable time here." He straddled his Firebolt and took off, his blonde hair blowing wildly in the wind.

They spent the next hour and a half going over everything Draco had taught Ginny. It was a perfect ending as Ginny pulled off every move perfectly. When they landed both were grinning from ear to ear and Ginny practically tackled him as she tried to give him a high five. This she had never done before and he tried to move out of the way as quickly as possible to stop her. It resulted in their heads bonking together and immediately Draco cursed. "What the hell, Weasley!" He felt the pain throbbing in his forehead and glared at her from behind a curtain of hair.

She was half laughing, half crying. Her expression was so comical that he felt his own anger ebbing away. "S-Sorry! Bloody hell, Draco. You have a hard head!"

"Speak for yourself." He retorted, giving the new bump on his head one last rub.

Ginny, still laughing reached out and patted his shoulder. "I'm sorry. I didn't know you were going to freak out like that!"

"Malfoys do not –freak- out." Draco snapped.

"Uh huh..." It was obvious Ginny didn't believe him.

Everything got quiet right then and Draco felt his heart drop as if it were made of lead. Ginny was looking at him with a different expression – one he had never seen her use before. She looked very thoughtful and unconsciously moved closer to him. Draco froze. He knew what was coming. He also knew that he had a choice and somewhere in the back of his mind a very angry little Draco was screaming profanities at him. _What do you mean you have a choice?! You DON'T have a choice! She is coming onto you! It's bloody obvious and you are considering NOT letting her?! You prat! The Dark Lord! The money! You never thought it would be THIS easy with the Weasley girl! Take advantage of it! _He could barely hear his subconscious screaming at him, because Ginny was suddenly right in front of him. She looked… upset. And sad. This definitely confused him. "What's wrong?" He hadn't meant to speak. He especially hadn't meant to ask her anything out of concern. But his mind was doing strange things… going fuzzy.

She gave him a small smile, a sweet smile, and put her hand on Draco's chest. Her fingers played idly with the clasp there and for the first time since they had started spending time together she wasn't looking him in the eye. "I'm sad."

Draco could have spluttered, but he didn't. "Why?"

She didn't answer with words. Instead, she had practically thrown herself in his arms, clinging to him with all her strength, her red head buried in his chest. Draco went still. This was not what he had been expecting. He had been expecting her to throw herself at him, yes, but with her _mouth_! He looked down at the top of Ginnys head in almost fear and lost all ability to function when he felt her body start to shake. He had never been hugged like this by the opposite sex before. The only person he could ever recall holding him like this had been his mother. Not even Pansy touched him this way, even when they had been intimate. He wanted to shout at her to get off of him but he couldn't conjure up the words. He felt his fingers twitching but couldn't tell if they wanted to pull her closer or push her away. In the end, he just stood there. "I'm sorry. Draco. I'm sorry." She pulled back but didn't loosen her grip.

There weren't tears in her eyes but they did look sad. She sniffed a little and wiped at her eyes as if there had been tears there. "I'm just so grateful. I know you might not want to hear this but you have been a good friend. I always feel so good when I'm around you." She laughed a little. "Godric, listen to me. Ron would kill me if he ever heard me say that to you."

He stopped thinking. He looked down into her brown eyes searching deeply… but for what he did not know. He didn't realize until a minute later that his arms had finally made a decision. They were now encircling Ginny while one hand reached out to touch her freckled cheek. He didn't care anymore. She was in his arms. She looked beautiful, nothing like the Weasel. She smelled so incredibly sweet that it almost hurt. "Ginny…" He had no idea he was even speaking. It was as if he had left his body and was watching the scene from up high. He could see his forehead bent close to hers, he was at least a foot taller than her and they were incredibly close. He heard himself speak the words but couldn't recall ever meaning to say them. He felt completely lost now. "…Stop me. Stop me now… don't let me… do…"

The last word came out strangled and it was because he had pulled Ginny into a deep kiss. A passionate kiss. He both felt and heard Ginny's gasp as she responded, her body trying to find a way to be closer to his, her lips parting willingly for him. He groaned helplessly into her mouth and found himself kissing her as if he had never kissed before. It hurt to kiss her, his lips were pressed so forcefully against hers, but they couldn't stop. She was giving as much as he was and it only made it that much sweeter. He had lost his mind completely. All he could feel was her warmth through his cloak; her hair was all around him and bloody hell… it smelled so good. His fingers came up to thread through her silky hair and he used his new grip to press her even closer against him. She whimpered against him but he couldn't stop, and he knew that she didn't want him to stop. She had thrown her arms over his shoulders, and he felt her dainty hands clasped tightly behind his neck. He could do this forever. But he knew if he didn't stop soon… he could die from lack of air. _I don't care. Die. It'll be worth it._

"What the HELL are you doing to my sister, Malfoy?!?!"


	10. Chapter 10

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: Here we go! Moving along! It gets steamier in this chapter…gotta build it up for you guys!

Draco could scream. He really could. He held back a heavy sigh and stopped kissing Ginny, but didn't let her go. He turned to look behind him and glared malevolently at Weasley who surprisingly didn't have Potter or Granger in tow. "Get off of her, you sick bastard!" Ron ordered practically rushing them.

Draco may have met his match with Potter, but Weasley was a different matter. He had his wand out before the Gryffindor made it three feet. He didn't say anything at first, and after a glorious moment of watching Weasley's face change colors he dropped his arm from around Ginny and took a small step back. He spared the girl next to him a quick glance. She didn't look embarrassed. On the contrary, she looked quite furious. Her hair was in disarray, and her eyes blazed. His stomach twisted pleasantly as he took in her bruised lips – they looked full and bright red. It was making him want to kiss her again. He gently pressed his own lips together and found that his own must look similar to hers… they burned and ached. "Ron! What are you doing out here?" Ginny's voice was like ice as she stepped in front of him, knocking Draco's wand out of her brothers face with a hand.

"What am I doing here?! What are YOU doing here! With him! In his disgusting Malfoy arms! It's MALFOY you were just snogging you know!" Ron was screaming.

Ginny relaxed slightly. She folded her arms and gave him a forced smile. "I know."

"…You know. You know! Are you brain damaged?! Did you put a spell on her you git!" Ron turned to Draco with accusing eyes.

"No, he did NOT put a spell on me. I happily snogged him." Ginny protested, giving her brother a little push on his shoulder.

"You are so in for it this time, Ginny. Harry won't like this." Ron warned.

"…Excuse me? Harry won't like this? Who cares what Harry thinks! He has no claim on who I snog, and neither do you! Don't drag him into this when you are the one upset!" Ginny's face was as red as her brothers.

It was amusing to see someone else drive the Weasel crazy. It made him like Ginny even more. "Wipe that smirk off your stupid face, Malfoy. I'll kill you!" Weasley made another lunge for Draco which immediately made him raise his wand again.

Ginny practically tackled her brother. "Stop! For the love of Godric what is your damage!? Just back off, Ron. Leave Draco alone. I –wanted- him to kiss me. I liked it. And you know what? I would do it again! When it comes to me, get over your prejudice because I am not part of it."

"He hates all of us, Ginny. How could you like this idiot? He makes fun of Hermione all the time. He insults our parents. How can you be alright with that?" Weasley sounded helpless.

Ginny turned to look at Draco. "Ron has a point, you know. But I haven't heard one insult from him in over a month, so as of now that is good enough for me. If there had been… maybe things would be different."

Everyone seemed calm now. Ginny looked tired. The Weasel looked defeated. And Draco… he just felt numb. As if the scene before Draco didn't matter in the slightest. "Will you walk me to Gryffindor tower?" Ginny asked Draco.

Draco thought about saying, 'no'. He knew that what had just unfolded did not look good for him. Every girl that he had slept with had been accomplished with the utmost secrecy. It was part of the rules. It was for his protection, the participating witch, and the other Slytherins who had money involved. But he had just been caught kissing his very last witch out in the open – by her big-mouthed brother. He knew what it looked like. It looked like they were a hot and heavy couple, and if the Weasel had seen it it was possible someone else had. He worried his bottom lip a little and stopped quickly when it hurt. It was a reminder of how nice it had been to kiss Ginny. What he did now was one of those 'no turning back' decisions. He knew that if he just walked off, as he usually would have done, it could ruin his chances of winning Ginny over and he might have to treat her as he did Granger. As he looked into her eyes, he wasn't sure if he could do that. If he did walk away with her… it was entirely possible that it would be all over school later that afternoon. He could hear the whispers now, "_Did you hear…? Ginny Weasley and Draco Malfoy! A couple?!"_ It disturbed him a little. He sighed, and with an irritated look directed at Weasley he held out his arm for Ginny.

She didn't smile but she did take it, grabbing both their brooms as they walked by them. Draco didn't bother looking back.

* * *

To Draco's surprise he heard nothing from anyone about their stolen kiss on the Quidditch field that morning. He had kept a close eye on the Golden Trio all throughout classes and meals that day and it appeared that Weasley had never spilled. He could tell that he had told Granger and Potter though, because the two of them kept glaring daggers over at his table. But that wasn't anything new. He just knew what it was for this time. He was a bit worried when he didn't see Ginny at dinner though. There was an empty seat between Longbottom and Granger. He was glad when it was time to retreat back to their dormitories for the night. He felt tired as he walked back to his common room almost sandwiched between Crabbe and Goyle. His two _friends_ were loudly discussing how good dessert had been and were therefore distracted, so it was only Draco who noticed a flash of red ducking into a classroom up ahead. When they passed the room Draco stopped. "Go on ahead. I forgot something." Draco ordered.

Crabbe and Goyle nodded and continued on. Draco's shoulders tensed and he felt annoyed as he pushed open the door next to him. He saw Ginny sitting on a desk, looking almost forlorn. He moved into the room and closed the door shut behind him. "What are you doing here?" He asked quietly.

"I…" She threw her hands up. "I don't know. I have been doing a lot of thinking after what happened this morning. I still can't figure anything out."

"What are you trying to figure out?"

She looked uncomfortable. "Why you kissed me."

He shrugged, forcing himself to take a casual approach. "I'm a boy. You're a girl. It just seemed like the thing to do."

She slid off the desk and moved to stand in front of him. "I could believe that. I would have believed it if it hadn't been for what kind of kiss it was. For what you said right before you did it…" She paused and suddenly became very interested in the chalkboard. "Look. I know I'm not the ideal for you. I'm a Weasley. I'm in Gryffindor. I know I'm not as pretty as some of the other witches you have probably been with… I _should_ hate you for the things you have said about my family. But… I don't. I don't understand what happened on the field today either. I mean, I do know that I think of you as a friend now. I owe you a lot of gratitude for taking time to teach me Quidditch. I wasn't trying to make anything happen this morning. It just… did." She was practically out of breath when she finished.

Draco leaned against one of the desks and folded his arms. He sighed. "You are a Weasley. I do hate your brother. I hate Gryffindor. It is very easy to pretend that you are not a Weasley. As for whether you are pretty enough, don't be stupid."

He felt he was once again at another crossroad. He could be done. Tonight. He knew that she had enjoyed what had happened between them this morning. He could certainly show her much more. He couldn't deny that he was holding back though. He had been for quite some time and he knew it was because there was something he wasn't telling himself. Something he was unwilling to recognize about Ginny. He wasn't even sure if he was capable of saying it in his head, much less out loud. After his mother had passed away…and after so much sex with so many different girls… he felt dried up. He could only recall feeling affection towards two women his entire life, and Ginny Weasley certainly wasn't one of them. …Until now. He knew that if he kept holding back on having her he probably never would. The longer he waited the more complicated things became. He could tell that she had started to like him. Even if he did sleep with her and erased her memory, she would still like him. Either way, she was probably going to get her feelings hurt.

He reminisced briefly about life before all this had started and once again found himself wishing he had never gotten involved. He missed feeling on top of the world. He missed the joy taunting others brought him. He missed doing everything in his power to be as terrible to Potter as he could. That Draco was gone. "I can't like you. I mean –" He ran a frustrated hand through his hair feeling himself coming apart at the seams. "I hate that I like you. I just wish you, or hell ANYONE could understand –" He broke off now telling himself that he shouldn't go any further.

Ginny looked confused. Possibly hurt as well. But ever the brave Gryffindor she put a comforting hand on his arm. "What don't I understand?"

_Don't._ He told himself. He immediately tried to throw up a wall. He was not this person. He was not a whiny little Hufflepuff. He was a proud Slytherin. Regardless of his growing disgust for his father he was _still_ a Malfoy and that wasn't meaningless. He had held himself together for this long… why now was he starting to lose control? He turned away from Ginny and gripped the teacher's desk in front of him. He held on to the edges so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He pressed his lips together and inhaled deeply through his nose… forcing himself to let out the deep breath. It helped a little. He felt a bit more in control. Naturally, the little witch was persistent and he couldn't stop her when she gently placed a hand on his cheek and forced him to look at her. One look at the concern in her eyes and he broke. "Don't look at me like that. I'm fine. I'm…" His voice shook.

Ginny had made a decision and he saw it as if it had been a simple flick of a switch. Surprisingly strong, even with Draco resisting she righted him so that she could press herself against him and put her arms around his neck. He couldn't understand why he was even struggling. Eventually she won, her cool fingers threading through his hair applying just the right amount of pressure to get him to lower his head enough so she could stand on tiptoe and meet his lips. The kiss was sweet at first. Her lips felt like velvet against his own and he felt himself try for one last internal debate on whether to stop her or not. It was over the minute she tentatively stuck her tongue out, grazing his bottom lip whispering, "Draco… stop fighting me. Stop hurting, whatever is going on… I don't have to go anywhere… please… kiss me." The last two words were swallowed up by his desperate moan.

He gathered her up in his arms and pressed her back against the desk, both his hands reaching up to cradle either side of her face as he felt the mounting need to lose himself in her. Their kisses were almost vicious, but both knew it was desperation. No witch had ever made Draco react this way before. Somewhere inside his subconscious was telling him it could be anything – probably just him reacting due to the 'game' almost being over. He couldn't get enough though. He told himself that if he had even felt a little of what he was feeling with Ginny in this moment he would have enjoyed the last two years so much more. He wanted to crawl inside of her. He just couldn't stop. He urged her lips to part with his tongue and groaned when she let him inside. She tasted so sweet. It was only a moment later that he realized they were both on top of the desk. Ginny draped across it with Draco on top of her, his knee resting between her legs. Unconsciously he threaded his fingers through hers and pressed the length of himself against her. She moaned into his mouth and arched up to meet him. He felt himself shudder with pleasure and knew… "Dammit…" He pulled out of the kiss and rested his forehead against hers both of them breathing heavily. "Ginny… this isn't right. I can't do this to you… here."

_What are you saying, you fool?! Ten minutes on this desk and you have won! _Draco ignored the voice in his head. He couldn't go through with it. Ginny had been so nice to him. He knew now that it had been a mistake to wait so long - giving the two of them time to actually get to know each other. She was his friend. Whether he liked it or not that is what she had become. She was nowhere near what he would have expected; a stupid Weasley, freckles, red hair, just as stupid and brave as any other Gryffindor. But he _liked_ her. He couldn't deny that even though he wanted to. "What are you talking about? Of course you can." She was breathless and god…_sexy_ as she pulled him back down to her.

"No. No. Stop." He gently pulled her hands off of his shoulders. "It's not that I don't want to…believe me… I want to. You're just better than this. You shouldn't have to do this in a cold classroom on a desk."

Ginny raised one eyebrow and sat up resting on her elbows. "Another talent you possess, Draco. You know how to kill the mood."

"I'm sorry." He stood up now and offered her his hand. "I just…god…if you ever repeat this I might have to curse you into oblivion… but…I _care_, alright? I care. About you."

She almost smiled as she got off the desk. Almost. He could tell she was confused, and upset about what no doubt must feel like rejection. He tried to numb the bruise by kissing her on the forehead. "I want to be angry at you. But I can't. That's really annoying." She said to him.

"Don't be angry with me. Do you really want me to rip your clothes off right here? In the dungeons?" He tried to make a joke out of it.

Ginny wasn't amused. In fact, her eyes hardened. "What if I did want that?"

Draco couldn't help it. Surprise spilled over on his face. "I… would… probably have a hard time denying you then. I am after all a seventeen year old wizard."

She smiled now at Draco's expression. "Hmm… then maybe I should try to _persuade_ you some more…" She slid back into his arms pressing completely against him this time, her mouth centimeters from his. Merlin… she was teasing him.

He breathed in her scent and groaned. "Fine… I can't fight you. I'm yours, whatever you want…I just want you..." His lips found hers again but only for a brief moment as the door slammed open. They both jumped apart looking guilty. He would have been murderous if it had been anyone but Severus Snape.

A/N: Yeah…um…don't kill me. I had to. You can't expect me to let her…or well…haha…I guess in this case…you can't expect me to let Draco give it up just yet! I want this to end too, believe me. But I wouldn't feel right if I didn't at least try to create a halfway decent ending. And who knows…maybe the next chapter will be –the- chapter! I think I just frustrated myself too though. I'm not happy I wrote Snape in, I wanted resolution. After all – the ending has been eight years in waiting. Sometimes I don't think I have any control over what I write. I think I will stick with that in this particular case.


	11. Chapter 11

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: GOMEN GOMEN GOMEN! SORRY SORRY SORRY! Seriously - these past three weeks - have been HELL. I have been doodling notes here and there, and I finally forced myself to sit down tonight and at least get SOMETHING out for everyone. I know this chapter is short. It ends abruptly. It is not originally where I wanted this chapter to go - but for the sake of getting a chapter out I decided to just cut it short and continue along in the next one. The good news is that I think I know where this story is finally going though. Which is good. I don't know if any of you have ever had this problem...but eight years ago...when I started this story...I had a COMPLETELY different plot line and ending in mind. Now...it has changed drastically. I never expected the story to go in this direction. I also never expected it to be so fluffy. It was originally supposed to be a pretty tough love story. And now...it's fluff. *shrugs* Oh well. Guess that is what happens when you get old! BTW - thank you so much for the reviews! I really appreciate it! It does keep me going - and it made me so happy to hear that I inspired an author to start up unfinished stories of her own again! There are so many stories out there that never got finished...it's so great when they DO get finished! Yay!

It was past midnight and Draco was lying down in his dormitory. He was staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling – something he had been doing for the past two hours. It had been a close call. Snape had been prepared no doubt to give detention for a month but once he saw that it was Draco he settled for making a sarcastic remark and threatening Ginny with detention for the rest of the term. He loosened the collar of the buttoned shirt he wore having not bothered to change into his pajamas. He should have just gotten on with it in the classroom with Ginny. It would have been much more problematic if Snape had caught the both of them with their pants down though.

He mentally counted the weeks he had left in his head. Six weeks. He rolled over on his side and closed his eyes trying to picture the red-headed Gryffindor in his mind. The image of her smile and bright brown eyes flashed back at him and he felt his heartbeat quicken. They had been close twice now, and being with a girl before had never been so exciting. Not even his first time when he had been with Pansy. It was difficult to stay cool and collected with Ginny too, and that drove him mad. He wished he could figure out how she had so much power over his emotions. He really _would_ prefer that it was just a mental breakdown because of all he had been through, but he had figured out earlier that evening that it was not the case. Merlin, he was falling for her. He found pleasure in conversation with her. He found joy in flying with her. He found bliss in touching her. She had even stood up for him facing down her own stupid brother. It was easy to admit all of these things in the privacy of ones own bedroom but he knew he would have a much harder time doing so when she was around. His father would have a conniption if he ever found out that he was hanging around a Weasley, much less if he started dating one. Ugh. Date. He couldn't possibly. What was he doing? It didn't matter if he liked the stupid bint or not, he needed to get over it. He needed to just shag her and be done with it. Move on. Take his money and leave for a proper hiding place. With a firm decision in mind he shut his eyes and forced himself to sleep.

* * *

It was the weekend for Hogwarts and Draco was sitting comfortably against a non-Whomping Willow tree outside. He had Snape's current homework assignment laid out before him and he was doing his best to concentrate on it. Usually potions came very easy to him, but he was finding it difficult to concentrate today. He rubbed at his eyes wearily and once again tried to focus on the words in his text. He had been trying to finish his "Collective Death Potions" essay for over an hour. It didn't take but a few more minutes of the same thing to cause his frustration to snap. "Bugger. Forget it." He mumbled, slamming his book shut and throwing it a few feet away from him.

"Talking to yourself now?" Draco looked up to see Ginny standing in front of him, looking amused. She folded her arms. "I always knew you were crazy."

Draco glared. "If I've ever been crazy I can think of only one person around here who would be the cause." He snapped.

"Aww, don't be mad. I was just joking." Ginny smiled and sat down next to him.

Despite himself, Draco felt his shoulders relax. He briefly forgot about his homework and stupid money problems as he looked into her eyes. They were currently sparkling with amusement, and under that he could detect warmth and excitement. He could tell immediately that she had been looking forward to seeing him. His heart did a little flip. "I know you were joking." He wanted to tell her that she was a pain in the arse but he couldn't bring himself to say anything else. Without thinking, he blurted out. "You're really beautiful, do you know that?"

Ginny's face went from milky white to beet red in a matter of nanoseconds. It was so hilarious to see the dramatic change in color on her face that he couldn't even bring himself to be horrified by what he had just said. Instead, he burst into uncontrollable laughter. This only caused the color on Ginny's face to darken. Embarrassed now, Ginny slapped him on the arm. "Don't be such a prat!" This only made him laugh harder, and with an angry hiss Ginny started to get to her feet.

Draco tried desperately to get control of himself but couldn't get the words out in time. Instead, he reached out and grabbed her arm pulling her back down. Still laughing he hadn't realized how much strength he had put into it and a second later he had a squealing redhead in his lap. Instinctively, he wrapped his arms around her forcing her to stay where she was until he could collect himself. Obviously, none of this seemed to make Ginny feel any better because she was struggling to get out of the embrace. "G-G-Ginny…haha…I'm sorry." He tried to suck in a deep breath but couldn't.

"No, you're not! I don't want to be around you if you're just going to laugh at me."

He shook his head trying to tell her that he wasn't, but it was no use. He settled then for the next best thing and ducked his head under her flailing arms and kissed her. She stopped struggling immediately. Draco, still incredibly amused but no longer laughing found enjoyment in kissing her thoroughly. She only seemed to be surprised for a moment because it wasn't long before he felt her relax against him. She sighed happily against his lips and returned the kiss with an almost urgency. This dropped the smile from Draco's kissing lips and he sat up straighter against the willow tree, his hands moving to rest on her thighs. She was only wearing a skirt, much like the regular witches uniform, and he was pleased to feel how soft her skin was. Half of the witches he had bedded never bothered to shave their legs. It was Ginny who broke the kiss and Draco found himself staring up at her with a lazy grin on his face. Ginny couldn't help but laugh a little. "I have never seen that look on your face before."

"Hmm. You never saw me the night Nott slipped some magical mushrooms into my pumpkin juice."

"I might have paid to see that." Ginny mused, indulging herself by twirling one of his perfect strands of blonde hair around her finger.

"You are though. I wasn't lying. You really are beautiful." Draco reached up and took her hand in his. He leaned closer and gave her a soft kiss on the lips.

Ginny closed her eyes and shivered. Draco ignored every warning bell going off in his head and moved in for a more satisfying kiss. He was surprised when Ginny pulled away and shook her head. He raised an eyebrow, confused. "What are you doing?" She asked.

"What do you mean?"

"You're…not acting like yourself. You have never been this nice to me, even when we've snogged." He could see the vulnerability in her eyes.

He knew she was right. A part of him was appalled by his current behavior, but being in her presence…suddenly…had taken away all of his confusion and pain. "I can't believe you are upset that I'm being nice to you."

"I'm not upset. I'm just a bit confused. I have never seen you like this. It makes me wonder if you _are_ on something." She tried to joke.

Draco felt some of the warmth that had been bubbling up inside of him simmer back down. His jaw tightened and his eyes narrowed. "Don't be mad!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on either side of his face. "I just can't help it. I have never seen you like this…ever. It doesn't mean I don't like it though. In fact…I…" She trailed off and shook her head.

"You what?"

She looked at him and then with a big sigh said. "I might love it. It makes me happy to know that you can relax around me."

He smiled at her. Not his usual grim smile, but a real one. "It's easy to relax around you. That's hard for me to grasp as everyone else in your family seems to make my head want to explode."

Ginny lowered her lashes and smiled shyly at him. "Does that make me special or something?"

"More like makes you a freak." Draco joked, and then to stop the reflexive tensing of Ginny's shoulders he grasped her chin between his fingertips. "Kidding. I think you are. Special, I mean. This is hard for me to say. My actions seem to come much more naturally but when it comes to admitting things that make me uncomfortable…"

Ginny leaned closer to him (if that was possible). "Do I make you uncomfortable?"

Draco's breath caught in his throat as he watched her brown eyes darken…good Godric they were practically smoldering. She was trying to be seductive. Trying to tease him. He couldn't believe that it was working. He swallowed, before admitting. "You have no idea."

"Yeah? How much? Tell me."

He opened his mouth to continue but then forced himself to let out a nervous laugh. "Ginny, what's gotten into you?

"Don't change the subject." She wasn't taking 'no' for an answer, nor was she letting him change the subject.

It felt like sweet warmth when she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her fingertips playing with the tiny hairs on the back of his neck. He gave himself a distracting moment by rubbing tiny circles into her waist with his thumbs as his hands rested on her hips. "I want you. But not just…for obvious reasons. You are confusing the hell out of me." He looked up at her now, meeting her curious gaze. "I have never really liked someone who has been my friend before. Except for Pansy, and that was just weird – she was more like a sister."

"Have you ever really liked _anyone_ before? I have never seen you dating anyone."

Draco shook his head. "Not really."

"Why not?"

He very well couldn't tell her the truth. He settled for a variation of the truth. "I'm a busy wizard. It's hard to get involved with anyone. There is also the fact that the majority of the girls in this school are ridiculous."

Ginny did something she had never done before – she scooted onto his lap and rested back against him with a content sigh. "Oh. Busy. I see. Always off planning mischief and evil, right? That's what Ron and Harry say about you anyway."

Draco, without giving it thought, wrapped his arms around Ginny and pulled her closer. He could feel the indents in her back pressed against his chest and he chose to rest his chin on her shoulder before replying. "Naturally. I have to keep up with my evil ways, of course."

He felt Ginny sigh against him, and his heart did a little flip when she grabbed his hand and started to play with his fingers. "I don't think you're evil." She said. "A git. Yes, definitely. But you're just…I realize there is a lot about you that people don't know."

"I'd like to keep it that way." It wasn't really a warning, but he did feel strongly about keeping his private life…private.

Ginny turned to look at him, her eyes meeting his. He could see that she was trying to convey some deep meaning through them. "I'm really glad that you are open with me. It means a lot…to know that you like me enough to share yourself. It's kind of like…a secret I get to know and no one else does."

Draco got lost in her eyes. He didn't even feel his own closing before his lips touched hers. He felt her shiver against him as he deepened the kiss, one hand lacing together with hers, the other resting in her thick, red hair. He couldn't get enough. Every time they kissed…it was like a painful thrill. He couldn't believe how much he enjoyed doing it. In those moments…when he kissed Ginny…and the kisses just _happened_ – meaning there was no intention behind these surprise kisses, he felt like he could forget. Forget everything. Forget his past. Forget his future. He couldn't recall why he needed Ginny for anything other than her sweet mouth in those moments. He knew why. This was real. This wasn't some game. He truly felt for the Gryffindor. She inspired feelings that he swore he no longer had. It was so addictive. …So easy to fall.


	12. Chapter 12

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: *sigh* I am just beating these characters up at this point. Drama drama. But nothing is worth having without a fight, that's for sure. I want smut too. There will be! Smut will come! I just…have to torture you all some more. And Ginny and Draco. Oh. And myself. I'm driving myself sort of crazy at this point. I have almost made Draco and Ginny just do it about five times already – out of pure frustration myself. But…my evil teasing self is winning out. I have to torture everyone some more. SORRY.

"Seriously, Draco, what the hell is this? Charity month? Why haven't you bagged Weasley yet?" Malcolm hissed, standing up so that his face was a few inches from Draco's.

Draco pulled out his wand and pointed it at Malcolm's chest to indicate he wanted breathing room. "I beg your pardon?"

It was late, he had just returned from the library where he had finished his Potions essay. He had just walked in when he was practically accosted by Malcolm. Blaise, and Pansy were still seated in a circle around Malcolm's now unoccupied chair. "Don't play stupid with me, Draco. It's obvious. Pansy and I saw you with Weasley today. You were all over each other!"

Draco raised one of his perfectly delicate eyebrows. "Of course we were, Baddock. That's part of the plan, isn't it? I do have to win the rest of my money."

"You've been hanging around Weasley for a month. That is far longer than any of the others. You realize that Pansy and I weren't the only ones to see the both of you, right? It's spreading all over school – that you and Weasley are together."

"So? Your point? Why do you care? Isn't it in your best interest that I haven't slept with her yet?" Draco felt his familiar annoyance return.

"It is in my best interest. But what _isn't_ in my best interest is that you blab about this whole thing to her. I don't need to be expelled for any of this."

Draco couldn't help it. He started laughing. But it wasn't like his laugh earlier with Ginny. This one was cold, sharp, and calculating. He practically spat his next words into Malcolm's face. "You stupid git. I can't believe you even have the gall to say any of this to me. You honestly think that if this got out it would be _your_ reputation on the line? Please tell me that you are joking. Or please tell me Pansy darling, that your impotent boyfriend is misguided."

Pansy just smiled and shrugged, keeping silent. Malcolm looked like his head might pop off. Draco continued. "I think I am entitled to a little down time. Especially since I've been nothing but a puppet in this whole charade for the past two years, don't you think? Who cares what anyone saw. All I care about is that I get my money in a few weeks time. This may have started out as a game to all of us, but it's not anymore. Not for me."

Malcolm started to open his mouth – no doubt to put in that he was in danger of being expelled but Draco's wand stopped the words from coming. "Did you cast the Obliviate charm on a hundred girls? Did you sleep with all of them? Some of them against their will? Did you spend weeks sometimes trying to convince a witch to sleep with you? Did you succeed with every single one of them?" When Malcolm didn't reply, Draco finished. "No, I didn't think so. So tell me again that if this gets out you'll be in trouble. Believe me, I'm the only one who should be worrying."

"You are going to give him ideas, Draco." Pansy finally spoke. She was smiling like a Cheshire cat. She always liked confrontations. Especially between other people.

Draco relaxed, dropping his wand and putting it back in his robe. He took Malcolm's unoccupied chair and sat on it like a throne. "No one is denying the circumstances, Malfoy. What I'm trying to say is that if you really are seeing Weasley you might be inclined to tell her what happened. Especially since your past is now less…then savory." Malcolm almost smiled on his last word.

Draco didn't reply right away. He had been caught off guard at how intuitive Malcolm was being. He wasn't dating Ginny _per say_, but he wasn't going to deny that he cared for her. He also did have guilt over his past. Not just for having given himself the personal reputation of a man-whore, but for some of the ways he had gone about bedding some of the witches. Hermione Granger hadn't been the only one he had to coerce into bed…even if the coercion had been done through seduction. In his mind, it had all been business; selfish business, of course, but business nonetheless. It had been a friendly wager between the young higher ups of the Wizarding World, something to do with their time and money. The only one who knew how serious he was taking this was Pansy. Blaise and Malcolm, both already devoted followers of the Dark Lord could never know that he was planning on running from initiation in a few months time. Was he terrified of Ginny finding out what he had done? Yes. Did he actually want to be with her? Yes. Have Ginny in his bed? Yes. But did he feel like he could accomplish this guilt free? No. A huge part of him knew that if he had any shot of keeping Ginny around he would have to tell her the truth. But he knew that telling her the truth would be the one thing that would make her leave.

Draco put on a simpering smile for his fellow Slytherins. "I won't tell if you won't."

"We all know nothing can be said anyway." Blaise had finally chimed in. "If you all recall, we did perform a secret keeper charm."

"That isn't true. Draco never got the same charm we did. _We_ can only tell others if Draco says we can. But Draco…can tell whoever he wants. Your insistence originally, right darling?" Pansy said.

It was true. That same night the _game _started they had performed a variance of the secret keeper charm – Draco was not an idiot. They had all done it willingly, mostly just eager to cause some mayhem around the school. It hadn't seemed important to anyone really at the time. Now it did. Draco knew that Malcolm desperately wanted him to lose. Not for the money, but because he wanted to save face in front of Pansy. Draco had taken the other Slytherin down a peg or two over the years in front of his fiancé, and he knew that it had never sat well with Malcolm. He also knew that Malcolm saw Draco as perfect, and didn't like taking a back seat to anyone. Draco thanked his suspicious nature more than ever now. Draco nodded to Pansy in reply.

* * *

Malcolm had not been lying. By the next morning, everywhere he went – classes, the Great Hall, the Quidditch pitch, people stared and whispered behind hands. Everyone knew. Only a few, very brave people (mostly idiot Gryffindors) had the nerve to say anything to him. One Gryffindor had shouted that Ginny was too good for him and he had given him his trademark wit in return – which effectively shut the stupid git up. It wasn't until lunch time that he saw Ginny again. She was waiting for him next to the door leading into the Great Hall. It was easy to read her expression. She looked shy, slightly aghast, and confused. He stopped in front of her. "So I've heard everything today. Apparently we are engaged to be married. You asked me yesterday, outside, next to the tree." She smiled at him now.

Draco relaxed instantly. He was starting to get used to the feeling more and more. "I heard that we _are_ already married, and we are keeping it secret because our families don't approve."

"Ooo, that's a good one. It would be true, don't you think?"

Draco held out his arm and Ginny took it without question. "I think we should go eat outside next to our tree; where I proposed to you and all."

"Hmm, I think that's a splendid idea." Ginny stopped. "Wait, I'll meet you out there. I'll grab us some food."

Draco nodded, watching her go for a moment. It didn't take him long to reach the spot they spent yesterday afternoon at. The grass was warm as the sun reached its peak in the sky and he shrugged off his robe as he gratefully stole the shade under the tree. He turned to see Ginny practically running down the hill with plates in each hand, an almost strained smile on her face. "Let me guess, you were cornered?" He asked.

She was slightly out of breath as she took a seat next to him, handing him a plate of sandwiches and a pastry. "Ron started to say something, but I got out of there quick. He didn't look very happy with me."

"Well, your brother is an idiot."

"Sometimes he can be. Yes. But you don't know him like I do. He really does care about me." Ginny said.

"I believe that." Draco said quietly, before taking a bite of the sandwich.

"I just hope he doesn't follow – ugh. I spoke too soon. I'm sorry." She did look sorry as they both saw Weasley storming down the large hill towards them, an almost frantic Potter and Granger trying to restrain him.

"He looks like a raging bull." Draco pointed out, much too calmly for someone who was probably about to be pummeled. He took out his wand - his tight grip on it the only sign showing that he was nervous.

They both stood up as Weasley reached the bottom, making straight for their tree. "So it's true!"

"Ron – calm down!" Hermione begged, once again trying to grab his sleeve and stop him from going any further.

Draco watched as he shrugged her off. Weasley didn't stop until Ginny stood in front of him, both her arms thrust out like a barrier. "Ron! Stop! Go back to the Great Hall!"

"How can you expect me to eat when I know you're out here snogging _him_!?" Weasley was no longer looking at Draco, but at his sister with an almost madness in his eyes.

"We are just eating lunch. Not snogging. And if we were, it would be none of your business." Ginny said.

"Is it true? Tell me. Are you dating Malfoy?" The Weasel almost looked like he was going to cry. Despite the dangerous situation he was currently in Draco still couldn't help the feeling of sadistic glee that passed through him. This was definitely going to make it on his "Best Moments of my Life" list. He loved that he could be the possible reason to bring the Weasel to tears.

"No. I'm not." Ginny said simply, risking a glance at Draco.

_Hm. That burned a little. _He thought in surprise, but let it go.

"You mean you're snogging him and not even dating him?!" Weasley exclaimed.

Draco rolled his eyes. "Who cares who she is snogging, Weasel. Just get over it. And get out of here." Draco waved him away dismissively.

It was Potter who had to hold the raging Weasel back now. "Ron, let's just go. Let them be. Talk to Ginny later about it. You know we're not going to get anything out of this git."

Weasley was practically shaking in anger. "Not until Ginny comes with us."

"Oh please, like that's going to happen!" Ginny laughed.

"I mean it. I'm not leaving you with him!" Weasley shouted.

"Ron, I'm not having this discussion. If you won't leave, we will." Ginny threatened.

There was silence for a few moments. To both Ginny and Draco's surprise it was Potter who asked the next question. The Golden boy seemed resigned as he ran a shaky hand through his unkempt hair. "Ginny," He started seriously. "Are you sure about this? About him?"

A short time passed before Ginny replied. "Yes. I'm sure."

"Ron, seriously mate. Let's just get out of here. Let's talk about this later."

The suddenly somber feeling amongst the odd group seemed to calm down the Weasel enough to get his feet moving. All three of the Golden trio's faces seemed to wear frowns. _Gee. They act like someone just died._ He thought bitterly. Draco waited until his three least favorite people were out of sight before looking back at Ginny. She was staring at him openly - an almost pained look on her pretty features. "What?" He asked.

"What are we doing?" She blurted out.

He was slightly taken aback. But he didn't show it. He pocketed his wand and sat back down against the tree, now avoiding her eyes. He picked at the sandwich she had brought him. "I don't know." He replied honestly.

"Do you like me? I mean, you must. You wouldn't be spending time with me otherwise."

"Merlin, of course I like you Ginny. Don't ask foolish questions."

"It's not foolish if you don't know where you stand." She offered quietly.

That would have been the moment to apologize and possibly walk away from this whole predicament. He could just give up. He could figure out another way to hide from the Dark Lord. He could make it so he didn't have to lie, or hurt the girl in front of him. He stood up again and took one of her hands in his instead. He searched her face, his grey eyes piercing whatever they could find. He was stuck. He didn't want to walk away. At this point, he wasn't even sure if he could. Not without major…something. Heartache, maybe? He didn't really know the meaning of that word, but he had heard it before. That was how he would imagine it though. Leaving Ginny. It would hurt.

He pulled her against him and wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. He felt her relax in his embrace. He wanted to say something but couldn't find words. Instead he tilted her face up to look at him and without warning on either part kissed her. It was a gentle kiss. Very soft at first. He could feel his insides fluttering as she responded, the movement of their lips together seeming too perfect. It didn't stay gentle. In fact, it was Ginny who deepened the kiss her arms tightening around him, her body pressing even closer against him. Draco moved the both of them – never breaking their kiss – to the tree. He pressed Ginny back against the tree for support and threaded his fingers through her thick hair, before using his grip to tilt her head back. He broke the kiss, chuckling softly at Ginny's whimper of loss, before planting soft kisses down her jaw line…taking the trail to her neck. She tasted so sweet to him. It was like devouring his favorite treat. He bit and sucked gently on the softest parts of her, relishing in every noise of pleasure it drew from her. Once he started to feel his own rising need he stopped himself. Breathless, he rested his forehead against hers. "Does that tell you where you stand?"

She wouldn't look at him at first. He could feel her chest shaking against him, and he could hear her taking a few steady breaths. When she seemed to have collected herself somewhat she met his searching gaze. "You scare me." She admitted.

Draco was stunned into silence. He couldn't think of what to say. By the time he could think of something all he could do was laugh in the words place. "_I_ scare you? Merlin, Ginny. You _terrify_ me. You have no idea…" Frustrated now, he pulled out of her embrace and ran a shaky hand through his hair stepping back to give himself some reasonable space.

"How can I terrify you? You always seem to just come up and take what you want from me – and then you go away again…without any explanation. You won't even tell me how you feel. It's driving me insane!" There was a rise of volume in her voice that he had only ever heard her use when she was around her brother.

"God…Ginny don't do this right now. I can't do this with you." Draco felt like he was having a fit. He rubbed at his eyes fiercely before storming away – as far away from Ginny as he could.

"Oh, no you don't!" Draco felt her small hand grab his arm and pull. He stumbled a little, surprised at just how strong she was. It didn't impress him though. It only fueled his frustration to the point of anger.

"Ginny, back off. I don't want to do this with you." Draco warned.

"All I asked is how you feel! About me! Why does that send you into some sort of catatonic state all of a sudden? It's a simple question!"

"It's not a simple question." Draco pulled his arm out of her grasp. "It's the hardest question anyone has ever asked me. You don't understand anything."

"What don't I understand? Please, tell me. Because all I see in front of me is a wizard who is too stubborn to be honest with himself, or ME – you claim to care about me. So tell me!"

Draco had no idea how it had come to this. One minute they had been snogging and the next they were arguing with each other. He couldn't even pinpoint the moment when it had changed from pleasure to anger. It had happened so fast. One thing Draco did know – he had snapped. He had completely come undone. Ginny was throwing the very questions he had never wanted to be asked at him. He wanted to avoid this whole conversation. But the look on her face was telling him that he couldn't avoid it without a fight. "You don't know what you're asking."

That did it. He could see something change in Ginny's eyes. It was as if a light switch had just been flicked. She too, had snapped. "_Dammit_, Malfoy!" She practically threw herself at him. He could feel her small fingers digging into his arms, even through the thick fabric of his cloak. She tried to shake him but it had nowhere near the same effect if he had done it to her. It was the fierce, desperate look in her eyes that shook him into submission. "You care about me, I know it. Just like I care about you! You care about _this!_" That last word came out as a hiss through her teeth before she slammed her mouth against his. The momentum Ginny had put behind it almost knocked him off his feet. He was able to steady himself at the last minute but wasn't sure if he was still standing a second later. It was the most brutal kiss they had ever shared. There were teeth. There was tongue. There was hair pulling. Nails drawing angry lines down each others bare necks. Draco couldn't remember where he was or what had just been happening. He wanted to breathe but couldn't have broken the kiss even if he wanted to. He was just as brutal as she was. He ignored the whimper of pain she let out when he yanked her hair back to get a better angle to deepen the kiss. In retaliation, she dug her fingernails into the softest part of his neck.

He was angry. So angry. Not just at Ginny, but at himself. At Malcolm. At Blaise. Hell, even at Pansy. He wanted to imagine a life with Ginny that didn't involve any games. He couldn't bring himself to imagine such a life. He had never felt so vulnerable and exposed in his entire life. He – who had slept with and practically conquered a hundred women – had never felt more guilty and disgusted with himself as he did in that exact moment. Ginny for him was like a mirror. When he was with her, when she made him smile or laugh…when she expressed her feelings for him…it brought back every horrible thing he had ever done. It made him feel like a monster. He _hated_ her for this. He wanted to tell her that he was a broken man. And that it was completely her fault. But he knew that he had been broken long before Ginny Weasley had come along.

"Don't stop, Draco. Please, don't stop." Ginny begged before kissing him again.

She gasped into the kiss, hands fumbling with the clasp of his cloak. He wanted to stop her but she was too quick. It only took a few seconds before her hands found their way into his shirt. He practically died at the first touch of her warmth on his skin. "Ginny…I can't. I have to stop. We have to stop." As gently as he could he forcibly removed her hands from his shirt.

The expressions that flitted across her pretty face were painful to see. He could see anger, frustration, lust, pain, and rejection. There were angry tears burning at the corners of her eyes and he braced himself for a slap. It never came. Ginny was shaking, her arms wrapped around herself as she moved away from him. His body cried out silently at the loss. "Sorry. I didn't mean…to attack you." She apologized bitterly.

"Don't be sorry. I didn't mind...nevermind."

"There you go again. Just say what you mean." Her voice was quiet now.

"I care about you. I do. You know I do. But what you're asking me is just…too much right now. There are some things that you don't about me." Draco knew he was treading on thin ice now.

"What kinds of things? I know about your father's relationship with He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. I know that he was a death eater. Is that what this is about?"

He was surprised that she knew, but didn't question it. He knew that Potter had known, and no doubt the git wouldn't have kept it quiet. "It's a part of it."

"Are you saying you're not good for me or something? Because that would be really lame." Ginny pointed out.

"Hmph. I'm great for you. I'm great for anyone. That doesn't mean there aren't complications though." Draco said.

"Look, I'm giving up. You realize we're just playing games with each other, right?" _Oh sweet, Ginny, if you only knew._ Draco thought sadly. Ginny continued. "I'm done playing games with you."

She came back to him now and instead of throwing herself on him she slipped back carefully into his arms. She placed a soft hand on his cheek and looked up at him imploringly. "I don't know about you, but I'm in love. With you."


	13. Chapter 13

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: Alright folks. One more chapter of torture. I swear – the next chapter is our playground. It will be smut. I warn you. I will do my best to keep it within the 'M' ratings (bah, still hate that STUPID rating – I wish NC-17 still existed! UGH!) Anyway. I've tortured all of you and myself for way too long. YEARS! LITERALLY! So…embrace this chapter…take a deep breath…and hold on…cause hopefully by this weekend we will all have some satisfaction. (Draco and Ginny too, haha!)

Draco's jaw dropped. He stared down at the witch in his arms in horror. This had gone wrong; all so very wrong. "Oh my god. Ginny. Please. Take that back."

"Excuse me?" Draco could hear the indignation creeping up into her voice.

Draco sighed. "Please don't fall in love with me. It's bad enough that I already –" He stopped himself.

"You already what? If you are suffering as much as I am, please tell me. I want to be with you. This has been driving me crazy. I know we didn't start out this way – and I honestly didn't see this coming either. But…I can't control what I feel. I think about you all the time. It isn't easy. No one approves of us. But I find that I just don't care."

Draco stayed silent. He just couldn't allow himself to entertain the things that she was saying to him. Ginny stroked his cheek. "I need you to be honest with me. Something is going on and you're not telling me what it is."

He wanted to tell her it was none of her business. He wished he had later. "It would ruin everything if I told you. I can't tell you."

"Draco…don't you want to be with me?" Ginny asked, exasperated.

Draco hung his head, no longer able to look at the redhead in front of him. His cheek rested on top of her head and he mumbled. "Yes."

She seemed to relax against him as he confessed. She sighed. "Then be with me." She whispered, tilting her head back to look at him again.

He stared at her and tried to ignore every conflict raging around inside of him. Here she was, in front of him, in his arms, looking so beautiful. Not at all the type of witch he could ever see himself with. But he had always been drawn to Ginny Weasley in some form or other and as she aged – she had aged beautifully. After her fifth year he couldn't ignore her blossoming looks just like no other boy in school could. "You're going to hate me, Ginny." He groaned out before kissing her again.

They stayed like that for moments, minutes, hours, days, he wasn't really counting. When they broke apart they were both shaking a little, the emotions between them ridiculously intense. "I won't hate you, Draco. I swear." Ginny promised.

"Don't say that. You will. What I have done is unforgivable." Draco stepped back and folded his arms.

"I won't." Ginny replied stubbornly.

Draco smiled wistfully. "We'll see."

* * *

_One. Two. Three turns clockwise. _"Mr. Malfoy, don't forget to breathe." Severus Snape's sardonic voice broke through the tense silence in the classroom.

It was Saturday and Draco was spending the better part of the afternoon helping Professor Snape prepare a few potions for his upcoming seminar with the ministry. Originally, Draco had felt honored when Snape had asked for his help, but once he realized that the task would take up the better part of his weekend the elated feeling had left him. He had already been in the dungeons for over four hours and both of his arms felt like they were going to fall off. His only comfort was that Snape looked just as annoyed as he did, and was doing just as much work.

Two days had passed since Draco had last seen Ginny. They had parted on awkward terms as Draco still couldn't bring himself to confess anything. It didn't take him long to notice that Ginny had started to avoid him. He didn't even bother to try and hide his disappointment, but he didn't seek her out either. He kept telling himself that she would come find him again in due time. He just hoped that she did this before Baddock noticed their strain. "How much longer, sir?" Draco asked, a little breathless.

"There are two more after these two are finished. Another hour, I assume. Unfortunately we are expecting company in a few minutes time." Snape replied.

"Company, sir?"

Draco watched Snape's upper lip curl with disgust. "Yes. I'm sure you recall your little tryst with the youngest Weasley in my classroom last week. She is coming in for her first detention."

Draco didn't know what to say. He wanted to defend himself but was not an idiot Gryffindor; he valued his life. His stomach twisted uncomfortably at the thought of seeing Ginny in close proximity again. He knew that she was angry with him, and he hadn't exactly dealt with the brunt of it in person yet. "I expect you to keep your hormones in check while she is here, Mr. Malfoy." If Draco was Harry Potter he would have blushed furiously at the comment. Instead, he sneered and kept mixing the potion in front of him.

The door to Snape's classroom creaked open a few minutes later. Draco hadn't realized he had been holding his breath and when he saw the familiar red hair he _lo- liked! _he relaxed. Both of Ginny's eyes widened when she saw Draco and he could tell that she was torn between a smile and a scowl. Okay. That was good news. She wasn't as angry as he thought. He stared at her openly not caring that Snape was right next to him and was secretly glad that he was nearing the end of the potion which required only slow, simple turns. "Ms. Weasley, so kind of you to join us. You are one minute and 32 seconds late…that will be ten points from Gryffindor." Snape said silkily.

Draco almost rolled his eyes before inwardly blanching. He would have cackled with glee if it had been any other Gryffindor who had walked through the door. Ugh, he was slightly sickened with himself. He glanced at Ginny again, whose face was turning red as she glared hatefully at Snape. _Damn. I'm a stupid Gryffindor lover now. Curse me. Someone._ He begged.

Ginny didn't bother to respond which Draco thought was very wise of her. "Ms. Weasley, each of these desks is filthy – mostly due to Gryffindor and Hufflepuff in competencies – you will have them sparkling clean – the muggle way – by the time Mr. Malfoy and I are done with our potions. If they are not up to my standard I will have you here until midnight cleaning the walls." Snape threatened.

Draco watched as Ginny's jaw tightened and held out her hand for a rag and bucket. She spared Draco a look before getting to work on the nearest desk silently. Draco thought she looked tense…and could possibly explode at any moment. He continued to stir his potion, noting the mounting tension in the room. It made Draco feel slightly uncomfortable, but he could see out of the corner of his eye that it gave Snape satisfaction.

They worked on like this for three quarters of an hour, the silence dragging. Draco felt relief when he looked down and saw that his potion was the correct shade of green. Snape looked up when Draco set down his spoon and came over to inspect. "Good, Mr. Malfoy. Your help is appreciated. Thirty points to Slytherin. If you would clean up for me I can take these potions to my storage cupboard." With a quick flick of wand Snape had bottled both potions and left his classroom without a backward glance.

The silence almost deafened when the door slammed shut. It took a few moments before Draco could will himself to look at the other occupant in the room. Ginny was leaning against one of the desks, her arms folded across her chest. She no longer had any rags in her hands and he noticed the dirty bucket at her feet. She was glaring at him. "This is your fault I'm doing this, you know." She accused.

Draco winced. "Yes. I know."

This caught Ginny off guard. He watched as her eyes widened as she spluttered. "E-Excuse me?!"

"I said, Yes, I know. And I would do it again." His tone was sharp as he snapped back.

He could tell that Ginny was taking some time to think his comment through – torn between taking it as an insult or a compliment. She settled for letting out a frustrated sigh and kicking her bucket across the room. It stopped against Snape's desk, surprisingly spilling very little on the floor. He could hear Snape's footsteps returning from outside. Quickly with his wand he muttered a cleaning spell – relieved that the room was clean the second Snape opened the door. He had been hasty enough that he hadn't thought twice about doing the whole room and he noticed that the last few desks that Ginny had left were now sparkling clean as well. Snape's hawk-like eyes scanned the room and his silence was the only sign of satisfaction. "I will see you in potions tomorrow, Mr. Malfoy. Miss Weasley, get your insufferable red hair out of my classroom."

Draco watched as Ginny stalked out of the classroom and slammed the door behind her. He winced and cast a quick glance at Snape to see if he would retaliate. To his surprise, Snape seemed to be interested in some paperwork on his desk. Draco's departure was a much more calm and confident one. A part of him was not surprised to find the small Gryffindor waiting for him at the end of the hallway. Her hair almost seemed to be standing on end and her lips were pressed together in a tight line.

Now, here's the thing. All Malfoy's pride themselves on having no fear – not because they are full of stupid bravery like Gryffindors – but because they are more powerful financially and politically. Usually, a Malfoy doesn't have anything to fear. Draco had been afraid for himself for years and now he had something else to add to the list. He was terrified of Ginny Weasley. He couldn't quite explain why or how, he just knew that he didn't want her to open her mouth because he probably wouldn't like what came out of it. The closer he got the more she seemed to tense – like a bow waiting to be let go. "Ginny." Draco gave her a small nod and stopped in front of her, doing everything he could to mentally prepare himself.

She snapped. "Don't 'Ginny' me!" She cuffed him on the shoulder.

He let out a yelp of surprise. "That hurt!"

"Good! I'm glad!"

"You're glad? What the hell, Ginny?!"

"Oh, you have NO right to be angry with me, _Draco_! You kiss me, tell me you have feelings for me, and then you don't speak to me for two days!" Ginny raged.

"You didn't speak to me either!" Draco couldn't believe this. He had never seen this side of the redheaded girl unleashed on _him _before. He loathed it.

"That is so _not _the point! I couldn't come talk to you after you left me hanging like that by our tree! I'm not going to run around Hogwarts after you all desperate. If you want me, you have to work for it!"

Draco had never been rendered speechless before. He had a horrible feeling that he looked like a mirror image of Ronald Weasley, his mouth hanging wide open his lips desperately trying to move to form words…any words. He probably looked like a dying fish. He knew that Ginny wasn't happy with him avoiding her, but he didn't expect her to be so up front about it. He was used to witches like Pansy – whom if you angered enough would just curse you silently behind your back – so you would never know what was coming – but at least it would be over with eventually…and you usually didn't have to react right away. When his words finally caught up to his mouth, Draco was surprised he made any sort of sense. "I thought I _was_ working for it!"

"By ignoring me? Please! By not telling me what's been bothering you? By freaking out on me whenever we come anywhere near our clothes coming off? You are so hot and cold you're making my head spin! And I'm done playing this game. This is it. I'm standing right here. You have one chance. Take it or leave it."

He had desperately been avoiding this moment. He thought he had more time. But this was it. His ultimate, final decision and whatever he chose…there was no turning back. He felt like the oxygen had been sucked from the room. A part of him wished that she could see into his mind…see that there was this huge part of him that was trying to do the right thing and protect her. The other part of him…was in survival mode. He had come so far. He truly felt like if he didn't finish with Ginny…didn't follow through…all of what he had put himself and all those witches through would be meaningless. And here she was…beautiful, feisty, and wanting him desperately. It was too easy. It was almost the easiest conquest he had ever had. She was so giving. So loving. She cared about him so much. He cared about her too. That was the problem. That part of him wanted to avoid doing this to her…even if it was for HIS own good. Because he knew that sleeping with her under his current circumstances would be wrong. Even wrong for a Slytherin. He wanted her too though. He had wanted her since the first kiss they shared. Ginny Weasley set him on fire…in a way that no other witch ever had. He burned for her. His body ached for her. He felt so incredibly stupid just standing there…not having yet made a decision. But he knew…that no matter what he chose…this was the end of the line.


	14. Chapter 14

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: This is it. I WARN YOU. For the love of GODRIC if you think you can't handle ANY form of smut DON'T read this! I don't want some stupid child to go running off and getting my story kicked off because you aren't old enough to read this. Argh. I seriously DO miss the good ol' days. So here is the WARNING PEOPLE! SEX! SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX SEX! And believe it or not, I toned it WAY down for . It was really hard for me to write it this way – I wanted to be a lot more graphic. Because why, you ask? Because I like smut. I like graphic smut. So I like to try and write graphic smut. –I- think this sex scene is perfectly within the 'M' ratings requires – I will be dead shocked if it somehow isn't as I could have been MUCH dirtier, folks!

Anyway. If you are old enough – read and enjoy. Draco/Ginny smut. Always good fun. A long time coming as I have already said. It's short – as I didn't want to spoil the moment in delving into any other issues yet. But…well…THIS is the part I have been waiting for since starting this story. The two of them finally shagging. So yay!

* * *

"_You have one chance. Take it or leave it." _

Her words only echoed in Draco's mind for a few fleeting moments. But to him it seemed like a lifetime that he thought his decision through. Later, he would not remember closing the few feet of distance between them. Later, he would not remember threading his fingers through her silky hair, pulling her head back so he could kiss her. Later, he would not have any recollection whatsoever of leading Ginny Weasley through the Slytherin common room in full view of his fellow housemates.

All he could do was be in the moment. He had finally made his decision and knew there was no turning back. They both stumbled into his dorm room wrapped around each other. Draco couldn't feel, see, or hear anything but the young witch in his arms who was currently using her teeth, tongue, and lips to molest his mouth. He could have sworn she had drawn blood but would never be able to tell as he was almost maliciously and desperately returning her treatment in kind. It was hard to tell where Draco began and Ginny ended. Draco's whole being throbbed with heated pleasure when she gasped against his mouth as he forcefully pressed Ginny against his bedroom wall – his own hard body pinning her there. She moaned with agonized pleasure when he shoved his leg between her thighs and started to redirect his kisses to her neck.

Draco couldn't keep his shoulders from trembling when she tugged at his hair and started to grind herself against his leg. "Bloody hell, Weasley…" He groaned, moving back to capture her lips with his own.

The kiss was beyond dangerous. It all was. Ginny's graceful fingers tried to unbutton his shirt but after a few seconds of frustrated fumbling she gave up – and with a firm grip on each side of his ridiculously expensive (and stylish) _Gucci Wizarding Wear_ silk top – she ripped the seemingly offensive garment open. A small part of his brain wanted to protest this but after feeling her cool hands against his warm chest he quickly reminded himself that it was replaceable. "Draco,.._Merlin_…freaking touch me, you prat!" Ginny sounded incredibly frustrated.

He would never say 'no' to her. He thrust his hand up her blouse, immediately going for the clasp of her bra. He walked the two of them over to his bed (not very gracefully as his hands and mouth were very busy) and grunted when they stumbled back onto it. It became a race to be able to feel each other. Draco had successfully removed the redheaded Gryffindor's blouse and bra and was currently making do with the deliciousness underneath. Draco's body tensed and vibrated with pleasure when Ginny cried out at the first flick of his tongue on her nipple. Her fingers tightened their grip on his hair and she pulled – hissing and moaning at the same time. She practically cried when his tongue flicked out again and traced a lazy circle around the hardening bud. He wanted to laugh when she tried to press his face closer to her chest but knew that what they both really wanted needed to happen soon. He couldn't get distracted with her completely as he knew he wanted to. He looked up into her eyes, ignoring the blonde hair that obscured his line of vision and tickled his nose. He needed her. He needed her in every possible way at that very moment. He wanted to be inside her in a way he had never experienced before. Draco lowered his head again and wrapped his lips around the nipple closest to him. He suckled, and kneaded the nub between his lips, his tongue peeking out every now and then to tease desperately.

He could feel her wetness soaking through her jeans, her center pressed against his forearm as he worked each one of her breasts with care and experience. She continuously rubbed herself against him, moaning desperately into the pillow next to her head, begging him with nonsensical words. "Draco…oh…Godric…please…I want you to…ohh…don't stop…" He knew what he doing to her. And he loved every _fucking _second of it.

He could feel the pain in his own jeans as his hardness pressed roughly against his zipper. He almost whimpered from the throbbing pain coming from between his legs. He couldn't keep himself together any longer. Moving quickly he stretched out against Ginny, placing himself between her legs so that his hardness was pressed tightly against her core. They both let out elicit moans and Draco brutally kissed her before rubbing himself against her again. It was a whimper this time. A gasp. "Draco…please…" She arched her hips up and down against him almost causing him to collapse on top of her. He had _never _been so wound up. He had no idea how he was going to last much longer…Ginny Weasley was so sexy it hurt. He had never been so turned on.

"Yes, Ginny? What?" He lowered his head so that his lips were a centimeter from her own. He did his best to smirk at her – amazed at his current level of self control.

"I need you…" She half groaned and whispered.

"Need me where?" His voice was husky as he placed a soft trail of butterfly kisses across her jaw line.

She almost undid him with every firm press against his zipper. "Inside me…oh Merlin, Malfoy. Don't make me say it. Just take me already!" Her face was turning a startlingly beautiful shade of red but he didn't get to admire the color for more than a second as her lips found his again.

Her fingers had a lot more luck with the button and zipper of his jeans (no doubt from the help of what was inside stretching the fabric to its limit) and he cried out himself at the first graze of her fingers against him. He shook violently on top of her, his arm muscles straining as she grabbed him gently in her hand. The first stroke almost undid him completely. He saw stars. "Fuck. Ginny. God…" He helped her along the way of getting his jeans and boxers off and relished in the feel of her hands on him.

He looked into her dark brown eyes and found both solace and a promise. She knew right then and there the power she must have over him. He could see it clearly in her eyes. It seemed to calm her momentarily. "I want you inside me, Draco…now…please?" She said it so softly he wasn't sure if he had heard correctly. But he certainly got the picture.

Seconds later, he had sweet Ginny divested of the rest of her clothing and she was under him. He could feel the sweat building up as their naked bodies pressed together in every possible way. "I love you, Draco." She wrapped herself around him, using the strength of her legs around his hips to push him against her.

He positioned himself at her opening and pressed his forehead against hers, kissing her almost sweetly. "Do you want this?" It was his last ditch effort…his last bit of willpower.

"Yes, you stupid idiot!" She growled before pressing forward onto him in frustration.

They both cried out a second later, Draco from blinding pleasure and Ginny from unexpected pain. He was completely inside her. He held himself horribly still and cursed every part of his brain. He had done everything _wrong_. She was a virgin. He had never bothered to ask or to find out. It never even crossed his mind. It hadn't crossed his mind as he had always taken serious precautions and care when he had slept with witches who were virgins. He usually took much longer with foreplay and was inexplicably gentle. He hadn't thought twice about it with Ginny. He had just needed her so badly. "Ginny…Merlin…love, why didn't you tell me?" He begged against her mouth, feeling his mind seize up with guilt.

"Because it's not important right now. Shut up!" And in typical Gryffindor fashion she sucked it up and ignored the initial pain. "Please…move…" She whimpered a second later…letting her first wave of insecurities shine through to him.

He did move. He held her against him, constantly reassuring her with his mouth, touching her everywhere he could with his hands…using every ounce of experience that he had to soothe her traumatized body. His hips found a good rhythm and soon enough she was meeting it. He could feel himself relax back into the mood his body telling him that this was completely right in every possible way. If his brain felt otherwise – well – he wasn't paying attention to it currently.

He wanted to have her completely. He loved her. He knew this now. And it didn't take long for every part of them to unite in this moment. His body sang as she wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him passionately. He could feel the sweat building on their bodies, only becoming more so as they rubbed together. "Oh…my…" He watched as Ginny threw her head back and arched against him. He almost screamed when he felt her muscles spasm against his hardness and quickly buried his face into her neck as she practically massaged his own release out of him. He bucked and gripped her tightly in his arms as he found perfect peace a moment later. He shook in her embrace and kept his face buried in her neck, not able to look at her just yet.

When he finally came to he could hear their mutual heavy breathing start to quiet and slow. Their shaking started to cease as their bodies relaxed and it wasn't soon after that he felt the desperate call of sleep hit him. _Dear Merlin, no. _He thought to himself exhaustedly. _You can't fall asleep like a stupid Gryffindor. _

A loud snore shook him from his deep thoughts. He started and raised his head slightly to look at Ginny. Her eyes closed, mouth open, and lean body completely relaxed…she had passed out. Just like every other Gryffindor he had ever had.

He should have laughed. Or balked. Or left. Instead…he smiled. And laid his head back down against her…drifting off to sleep himself.


	15. Chapter 15

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: Alright. This story is coming to an end. I probably COULD prolong it and do many other things with it, but I really only set out to get this story finished as quickly as possible. It was my only chapter story and I didn't want it left hanging any longer. Eight years was long enough! The truth is…I have come up with a NEW story idea! It's absolutely BRILLIANT and I'm super stoked about it. I have been really excited and have wanted to start writing it but I'm forcing myself not to because I don't want to get distracted from this story when I'm so close to being done. I know this story is horribly cliché and all the plot points are ridiculously obvious – but hey…I started it when I was pretty young. And I really AM that type of person. I love fluff. I love romance stories. I love a happy ending. I hate reading stories that don't have happy endings…well…and sometimes I do love them…but hate that I love them! I don't see the point in reading/watching something if it's just going to make you depressed. I love to be happy. I love it when people make me happy. So yes, of course this story is full of fluff and its sole purpose is to make people happy. I'm actually hoping to branch out as a writer and really play with creative plots and good, solid character development in my next story. I think there will be a few more chapters after this before the end. I really want to thank everyone for reviewing – it means a lot that you all like this story – and I hope in the future that my writing gets better and my stories get better.

Oh yeah! Ha! And wasn't it satisfying that they finally shagged? I was satisfied. Thanks for letting me know what you all thought of the smut too – I'm glad to hear that it wasn't too graphic and that I seemed to keep it within the "M" guidelines.

P.S. Sorry if this chapter is kind of awkward…I haven't used a beta since I got back into writing. I probably will use one for my new story though. I wrote this on four hours of sleep. :/

* * *

Draco's eyes fluttered open at the sound of his door opening and closing. He looked and saw a sheepish looking Ginny returning with two glasses of water. "Um…I was really thirsty, and I didn't want to wake you."

Draco smiled. "How did you make it past the horde?"

"Surprisingly no one was in the common room. I think everyone is at breakfast." Ginny came and sat back on the bed handing him one of the glasses before taking a sip from her own.

Draco took a gracious sip before placing the glass safely on his nightstand. The previous night came flooding back to him and he didn't know whether to laugh with relief, or to cry. It was done. All of it. He looked at the girl before him and relished in the vision she made. Her red hair was tangled and thrown about in the perfect rendition of "sex hair". Her cheeks were flushed and her brown eyes seemed to be brighter than ever. She looked every bit the epitome of "just shagged". He realized he had never done this before – he had never woken up with someone. As soon as they had fallen asleep he would cast his powerful memory charm and let his friends help the witch back to her room. His fingers almost twitched to go for his wand…he –could- fix the situation easily enough. She wouldn't know what hit her. He had become very formidable with memory charms. It would be too powerful to stop. But he couldn't toy with that thought for very long because Ginny was smiling happily at him. It made his insides turn to mush and he felt the desire to blush himself – but he didn't, of course. This was a new experience for him, 'The morning after'. He sort of liked it. He reached up and stroked her soft cheek before reaching down and taking her hand in his. "So." He said.

"So." Ginny ran her thumb across his skin in circles.

"Do you regret it?" He suddenly asked.

Ginny dropped his hand. "Of course not!"

He winced. "I didn't mean it like that. I just want to know that…you were…happy. With the decision."

"I was." She leaned over and kissed his forehead. "I am. I would do it again."

"Oh really? You still like me that much?" He teased.

"You know I like you too much. I shouldn't like you." Ginny stretched back out on the bed and laid her head in Draco's lap. She let out a content sigh when he started to run his fingers through her hair.

"Yes, you shouldn't. I tried to tell you that."

"Oh well, too late now. Right?" She looked up at him and winked.

Draco was quiet for a minute, letting his thoughts process. "Right."

It was silent in the room for awhile, the two of them happy to just be next to each other for the moment. It was Ginny who broke the silence. "Draco?"

"Hmm?"

"What does this mean?"

"I beg your pardon?"

"Us…I mean. Last night." Ginny's face turned the color of a tomato.

"What do you want it to mean?" Draco asked, feeling a small tug of worry.

What did this mean? Did it mean they were dating? He knew that that's what she was asking. Did he want to date her? He could just imagine the trouble such a thing would cause…not only at school but with his father who was still under the impression that he was going to carry on the family legacy. She was very beautiful. She was incredibly good to him. He had had the best sex of his life just hours before and the greatest part was that his partner was still around afterwards. But…

"I…you know I care about you. You know what I want." She sat up now, with a very determined look on her pretty features.

Draco sighed and hid behind his hands. He rubbed at his eyes and tried to buy himself some more time to think. The comfortable, happy, sated feeling he had just been experiencing deflated. He felt like he was running out of options now. He felt like he was being pushed back into a corner…no escape. "Ginny…I…"

He was interrupted by a gasp and then a groan. He looked up startled at Ginny. Her eyes were on his clock by his bedside and a moment later she was jumping off the bed. "I have Quidditch practice! I'm twenty minutes late! Harry is going to kill me!"

Draco watched as she hopped around his room trying to put her shoes on, completely taken aback by this sudden behavior. He really couldn't be _that _lucky, could he? For her to be distracted at the exact moment he was about to tell her? "Draco, I'm so sorry. I really want to talk about this. I really want…I want us…well, you know." She blushed a little. "Oh, bollocks! I still have to run and get my broom!" She leaned over and gave Draco a quick peck on the lips before rushing out. "I'll see you at lunch!"

When his door shut he sat on his bed in stunned silence. Had what just occurred…really happened? Wow. "Wow…" He repeated out loud before falling back on his bed. He scratched at his hip briefly as all that was currently covering him was his designer sheets.

A firm knock came to his door. He sat up quickly, half terrified and half hopeful that it was Ginny again. But she probably wouldn't have knocked at this point. "Who is it?" He asked.

"You know who it is. Open the damn door, you pillock." An angry, stiff voice came from the other side.

Draco rolled his eyes before getting out of bed and finding his silk robe. He took his time tying it up before opening the door with a raised eyebrow. Both Blaise and Malcolm stood in front of his door, both wearing very opposite expressions. Malcolm looked absolutely murderous and sulky, his body stiff as a board with both of his hands shaking into fists. Blaise was leaning casually against his doorframe wearing a small, amused smile on full lips. He looked completely relaxed and as if this were just another pleasant occurrence in his day. "Yes, what do you idiots want?" Draco drawled.

"Pft." Malcolm forced himself into Draco's room with Blaise following, entering more slowly.

Draco closed the door behind them. "Why yes, of course you two can come in." Draco said sarcastically. "Make yourselves at home."

"How kind of you, Draco." Blaise sat himself down on Draco's bed looking as if he belonged there.

It made Draco want to kick him. Malcolm stood in the middle of the room holding an envelope in his shaking hand. "I hate you, you know that?" He confessed before shoving the envelope violently against Draco's chest.

Draco would have gotten angry but the emotion was held at bay as he figured out fairly quickly just what he was holding. "Yes, it's the invoice, proof that all two million galleons have been transferred into your account. Congratulations." Blaise was smiling.

Draco felt himself relax…almost every part of him…his body, his mind…his soul. He was free. He was going to be free of his father's demands. He was going to be able to keep himself safe. For a very few precious moments…Draco was truly happy. He had done it. He had won the bet. He had WON! It was only his Malfoy pride and the fact that he was in front of peers that he didn't jump and down with joy. "So, how was she?" Blaise continued as it was apparent that Malcolm was too angry to speak.

"Vulgar much, Zabini?"

"More like curious. We just saw her rushing out of here. She left of her own accord. Usually we have to bodily haul the witches out of here when you're done. She still knows." Blaise's tone was ominous.

Malcolm seemed to come to life. "Yeah…hey…Yeah! She still knows! You didn't cast the memory charm on her!"

"Very perceptive of you, Baddock." Draco said dryly.

"They are not supposed to _know _afterwards as it could incriminate us." Malcolm snapped.

Draco laughed lightly. "Right. We have already had this discussion, Baddock. The witches are not supposed to _know _about the game. Ginny Weasley was the last one – the game is over. I have won. The witches were not supposed to know about the game – and she still does not know. But if I did plan on telling her it is no longer any of your business."

"Are you planning on telling her, Draco?" Blaise asked.

"Maybe." Draco replied defiantly.

"You haven't fallen for Weasley have you? Cause that would be disgusting." Malcolm put in.

"Of course not. But as I said, even if I had it's no longer any of your business."

The room was silent for a moment. It was Malcolm who broke it. "You're a liar. It's completely obvious. And it's disgusting. Regardless, you're going to have to tell her at some point if you care about her."

"And what if I don't? Are you going to tell her?" Draco felt his voice rising in anger.

"Possibly." Malcolm smirked before walking out the door.

Draco felt his chest freeze. This was not good. He was slipping. He was showing far too much emotion these days – all because of Ginny and his stupid infatuation with her. "You might want to tell her. I think he's serious." Blaise said quietly.

Draco sighed and sat next to Blaise on the bed. "He's that mad I won?"

"Oh yeah. Pansy was with him all last night gloating about how wonderful and talented you are. How she always knew you would win the bet."

"Stupid insecure git." Draco cursed.

"Well, I won't tell her. If that helps. If you _have_ fallen for a Weasley…well…that's your prerogative. It is impressive what you've accomplished and what can I say? You have made these last two years very entertaining for me." Blaise got up and headed for the door.

Draco glowered at him but without much feeling behind it. He sort of liked Blaise. Slytherins never admitted things like that to each other though. "You're a sadist."

"I know." Blaise smiled again and left.

* * *

It was a few hours later and Draco was dressed in his best and heading up to the Great Hall alone for lunch. If he had been anyone else he probably would have had butterflies in his stomach. He felt a bit nervous. He didn't know how Ginny was going to interact with him now that they had slept together. Would she make a big scene in the Great Hall in front of everyone? Would he be hearing from his father this very evening? Or did she still understand that it was best to keep their relationship under wraps? At this point though he wasn't sure if it was possible to keep it under wraps as he had been seen dragging her through his common room in front of almost the whole Slytherin house last night. When he walked into the Great Hall and half of the school's eyes turned toward him he knew it to be true. He hadn't been thinking the night before. Nothing had been done in secret like it usually was. By the end of the day everyone in school would know that he had been with Ginny Weasley last night. He decided it best not to lose himself and sauntered into the large room with his held high. He could see that most of the expressions on his fellow housemates faces were that of disgust, but Blaise and Pansy's faces shone with respect and pride. When he took his seat next to Pansy she put her arms around him. "I'm so proud of you!" She whispered in his ear.

This declaration would have been weird from anyone else. But Pansy _was_ the only other person who knew about his situation. She had never wanted him to be unhappy. He knew that if she herself ever joined the ranks (which he desperately hoped she didn't) that she would die with his secret. He used to joke with her that it was horribly Gryffindorish of her. But Pansy was…_is _his one true friend. He smiled slightly. "Thanks. I'm glad it's over." He said pulling a bowl of soup towards himself.

"Everyone is talking about it though. You weren't very discreet." She pointed out.

"I know. And your fiancé isn't too happy about it either." Draco said.

"Hmm…well, he will just have to get over it." Pansy mused, twirling a bouncy curl around her finger. "I'm just glad you will be taken care of financially now. I know how important this was for you."

Draco felt his chest throb a little. He gave Pansy his real smile which made her breath catch in her throat. He laughed a little – he loved that he had that effect on her – on most women who got the rare privilege of seeing it. He really did love Pansy. She was so good to him. His best friend. _That stupid idiot Baddock had better be good to her._ He knew deep down that the stupid idiot would be, even though Draco practically hated the stupid git. Baddock was so ridiculously in love with Pansy that Draco knew she would be properly loved and taken care of. But Draco felt that Pansy could have done better and he had told her so many times. He looked up to see if Ginny was at the Gryffindor table. She was. He frowned a little as he noticed her in a heated discussion with Granger and her brother. This went on for a few more minutes and finally ended with Ginny getting up from her table and storming out of the Great Hall. "Oh dear. Looks like Ronald Weasley found out about you and his sister?" Blaise looked like Christmas had come early as he leaned over to speak to Draco.

Indeed Blaise was right. He could see Ron glaring at him from the other side of the room looking absolutely murderous. He could see Potter and Granger using all of their strength to restrain the violent Gryffindor. _Brilliant_. Draco thought with gleeful amusement. He did the worst possible thing – he smirked at Weasley. He could hear the howl of outrage from across the room and both eyes widened as Ronald Weasley broke out of his friends hold and stalked over to his table. He had to admit that a part of him was frightened. Weasley could be terrifying if he wanted to be. He was incredibly tall and had built muscle over the years from so much Quidditch. Draco pulled out his wand instinctively and held it tightly in his grip. "MALFOY!" Weasley shouted, shoving aside a terrified second year and slamming his fists down on his table.

A second later Granger and Potter caught up with him. Granger grabbed his arm and tugged. "Ron, stop! You're going to get in loads of trouble!"

"Yeah, come on, mate. McGonagall is already on her way over." Potter grabbed his other arm and also tried to pull.

"Are you two mad?! He slept with my sister!" He shouted.

There was a collective gasp that went through the Great Hall and immediately after there was only silence. Draco rolled his eyes. "Oh good going, Weasel. You have the biggest mouth." Draco commented dryly.

"I'm going to beat you within an inch of your life, you dirty inbred!" Weasley shouted and probably would have dived over the table to get to Draco if Snape hadn't shown up just in time.

"I don't think so, Weasley." Snape said silkily, before forcefully grabbing the Gryffindor's arm.

McGonagall came rushing up a second later her hat falling sideways off her head. She looked very harassed and angry. "Mr. Weasley! How dare you cause such a ruckus! You are a disgrace to Gryffindor house! Thirty points from Gryffindor!"

"And a weeks detention starting tonight. My office." Snape hissed.

It took a few minutes to calm Weasley down but eventually with the teachers help, Granger and Potter were able to usher Weasley out of the Great Hall. As soon as they all left the Great Hall suddenly burst back with noise. Almost everyone was looking at him and whispering excitedly. "What a bleeding mess. My father is going to kill me." Draco muttered.

"Has anyone seen Malcolm?" Blaise suddenly asked, looking around the table.

Draco looked confused. "No, I haven't seen him since this morning actually."

"He didn't say anything to me." Pansy confessed.

Eventually it seemed to dawn on the three of them. Pansy looked stricken. Blaise looked annoyed. And Draco…Draco was sure all the color had drained from his face. He didn't need any of them to speak to realize what had probably happened. He got up from the table and made a quick exit. The entrance hall was empty, but the double doors leading to the outside were wide open. His heart pounded. He ran down the steps and his feet moved silently across the grass towards the south end of the grounds. He only slowed when his favorite tree stood tall before his eyes. He was out of breath and did what he could to get it under control. He could see a lone figure standing under the flowery branches.


	16. Chapter 16

Title: The Dating Game

Rating: R

Keywords: Draco/Ginny

Warnings: Sex, Foul Language, etc.

Summary: Draco was part of a game – a game that had started out fun but turned into something much more serious as the end drew near. If he did not succeed he was as good as dead, but if he did…would he lose something more?

Authors note: …I know. I know there is serious hate here. I deserve it. But I am secretly glad that it has taken me this long to update. Why? Because I have probably proofread the first part of this chapter several times and was able to successfully beta it myself. It is very difficult to beta your own work. But once you haven't seen something you've written in months and months it's quite easy. The second half is not edited – I just wrote that today. I thought I almost lost the first part of this chapter – I tried to rewrite it - go a different direction but it didn't work. I'm glad I found it, this truly is the way this chapter was meant to be written. I cannot avoid the clichés. I cannot avoid the feelings. The fluff. The damn angst. It's all there. I can't help it. I DO now know the ending of this story though. I'm in a lot better place than I was on how this will end. Which is good. There will be 2-3 more chapters before this story is complete. But we are very close now, I promise. I don't think I have ever had an ending so planned out before. So even though it has taken me forever to update and some of you have possibly forgotten me and this little story, I know it was the right move. Because now I can give you a worthy ending. Time helped my writers block. I originally thought I was just going to give you guys a crap ending, something rushed through to finish this damned story that has been pending for eight years. But no. I can give you a REAL ending. A worthwhile ending. Something worth waiting eight years for. Maybe. Lol. I don't have THAT much confidence in myself. But it will be worthy. This I know. ONWARDS!

Draco could see every feeling Ginny was experiencing clearly on her face; anger, betrayal, sadness, and disgust. She turned at the sound of his footsteps and as soon as she laid eyes on him..._denial._ Her eyes were watering but she hadn't quite reached the point of tears…which meant that he had just missed Malcolm. He stopped, not allowing himself to go any further in case he did something stupid, like dropping to his knees and begging for forgiveness. He didn't have to move though because Ginny came to him. She ran to him and threw both her arms around his middle before a loud sob burst out of her. She immediately forced herself to stop and the effort it took her to do so caused her to convulse in his arms. "It's not true, right? Please tell me it's not true!" He could barely understand her as she was speaking into his robes.

Draco knew there was nothing he could say. He could not lie to her. He had been contemplating telling her and no doubt it would have elicited the same reaction out of her. What he had done? What he had involved her in was pretty terrible. She tilted her head back to look at him still holding on tight to his waist. "Draco?" Her voice was a whisper now. "Not true…right?"

When he didn't respond the tears did fall. They were big, fat droplets of despair that started running down her cheeks like a leaky faucet. He felt all his insides wobble uncomfortably. He had caused this look of anguish on Ginny's face. This time he did not bask in it. He felt like he had kicked a puppy. "I gave m-myself to you…" Her voice cracked as she backed away from him.

"I know, Ginny."

"Did it mean nothing to you? Was it really a game?" He could tell Ginny was trying to find anger and he would have been much more comfortable with her expressing that emotion…but instead she just looked completely broken.

Draco reached out for her but she slapped his hand away. "Don't touch me!" She snapped.

He put his hands in his pockets to keep himself from trying to do it again. "Ginny, I swear – I swear to you that it wasn't meaningless. I do care about you."

"Right." Ginny laughed weakly. "Right, just like you cared about all the others?"

"They really did mean nothing."

"That makes this even worse! How could you do any of it?"

Draco weighed his words carefully. He felt very alone as he stood next to their large tree, blanketed from the sun by the lush, green leaves. He looked at her through his thick lashes. "It truly was a matter of life and death. For me."

Her enchanting brown eyes stared hard and desperate into his cold, grey ones. They stayed that way for several minutes – a part of Draco begging her to see the truth he was trying express with his eyes. Finally, she spoke. "I'm sure to you everything is a life or death matter. I think you're an absolute fool. But even you're not as foolish as I am…because I'm the fool who fell for it all."

Her delicate hands tightened into fists as she turned back towards the castle. She didn't look at him. "Goodbye, Draco."

And with that, Ginny walked away.

Draco had honestly expected to be taken away to Azkaban every second his eyes were open that entire week. He found himself torn between paranoia and tremendous guilt. He was raised to never feel guilt so instead he spent most of his time being paranoid. He knew the chances of being arrested over this were slim – his memory charms had become too powerful. No wizard could possibly break them. Even if Ginny did tell it would be a very long process of Wizengamot court dates. A pain, but all Malfoy's were the masters of a lie. He chose to worry instead of care about her feelings. He couldn't possibly allow himself to think that what he had done was wrong. He was young. He was handsome. Most of the girls had wanted it. ALL of the girls had not been younger than 15 – he had waited – if any of them were in a year below him. The bet had stated that any girls of age while he attended Hogwarts qualified. He never had to use magic either. That had also been a rule. It was purely seducing. His own Malfoy charms. That had been the whole point of the game. Any old witch or wizard could cast _Imperio_. He knew he never had. His biggest fight had been Granger but even still…aside from the practical _brawling_ she put him through…she had eventually caved too. But there had been the morning after responses. The few times when his _friends_ hadn't made it quickly enough to his room and he had fallen asleep, only to have the witch wake up before him…those were the times he could see himself feeling guilty. _If _he was capable of feeling guilt, of course. Again, a Malfoy did not know guilt.

His arrest never did come. He spent the next few weeks quiet; in classes, at the Slytherin table, during Quidditch practice even. Quidditch was the worst. Everytime he stepped out onto the field he remembered the weeks he spent training Ginny one-on-one. He remembered how she had practically begged him. He remembered the joy of that time. He could not even bring himself to feel put off that Ginny didn't seem to be feeling anything akin to betrayal or sadness. Immediately, she had started to act as if nothing had ever happened. It was like he truly had performed the memory charm on her. In the beginning, Draco had a fear that maybe she had been obliviated. That maybe Pansy had gone behind his back as a favor. He knew that it wasn't so everytime she accidently looked at him. She made a point not to. She was very good at it as well. But when they did accidently run into each other in the halls she would grace him with a look of pure loathing. Even once, when her guard had been down, he swore he saw the pain in her eyes.

Before he knew it his N.E.W.T.S. were next week. He had been making his greatest attempt to study between his paranoia and guilt. He knew he was intelligent enough to pass with good marks but he did _need _to actually study if he wanted to acquire Granger-like-N.E.W.T.S. He found that in the end he did not care as much as before. His plans were to go into hiding in a matter of weeks. He had already started the arrangements – he had found a reasonable flat in America – a state called Washington. There was a very small town that few witches and wizards resided in but not enough to tip off his father if he came looking. He had been spending most of his time in the library figuring out different forms of secrecy spells. He realized that his best bet was a secret keeper. He could make his flat unplottable but he knew that he still needed more. He wished he could be powerful enough to make the town unplottable but knew that would never work. In the end, he would never get off the train that would take him home. He would walk into Hogsmeade on his last day, never boarding the train, and apparate to the correct coordinates. Alone. For who knew how long.

He could almost see it in his head. A year or two passing…and hearing snippets of the war in England. His choice in wanting to stay out of it meant that he could not pick a side. Not truly. He wanted Pansy to survive. In fact, originally, he had begged Pansy to come with him. She had, of course, refused. She didn't condemn his choice to leave but that did not mean that she would ever feel the same way. She truly believed in the Dark Lord's plans. He knew _his _best chance of survival would be Potter's side winning. He would not be jailed for running away. He would be considered on the right side if Potter won. This had been his plan all along – hide himself away and hope that Potter got a lucky break. He didn't really believe Potter had a chance, but he could hope. Otherwise…he would be in hiding for a very long time. In the end, if he was caught, he could only hope that his father was still influential enough to save him. Not the bravest of plans, but it was his best shot at not getting killed, by either side.

He almost hated Ginny Weasley in these moments of reflection. When he reminded himself that the war was coming. All the times he used to think about the upcoming war, he had very few worries. But now there was Ginny. He tried not to think about Pansy, Crabbe, Goyle, or Nott in their masks…casting an Unforgivable on Ginny. Everytime he did he hated himself. He knew that Ginny would never leave. Even if she didn't hate him, even if she loved him, she would never leave her family. Or Potter. Not even if she wanted to spend the rest of her life with him. He could no longer recall their good times together – not when the end of the school year was so near. Not when his race for freedom was so close. Now all he could see was a flash of green surrounding Ginny, her red hair blowing around her head like fire as the spell enclosed her, and the Dark Lord cackling with glee when she hit the ground…lifeless. He could feel nausea build up inside him everytime this image came to him. A few times, he had been lucky enough to be near the loo. Other times, he had not. Pansy had grown so concerned at one point that she had forced him with magic to Madame Pomfrey.

"_Calm yourself, Parkinson. It's just nerves. Here you go, my dear boy, take some of this draught, it will calm you. Happens every year to you lot! N.E.W.T.S. are a delicate business but not worth your health, off you go!" _

"_I told you to stop freaking out." Draco snapped as they walked back to the Slytherin dormitory. _

"_What do you expect me to think? Almost everytime I see you now you are sick. If this is about Weasley, it's very unbecoming. Just so you know." Pansy glared at him. _

"_Not EVERYTHING is about Ginny. Alright? I do have a lot more on my plate than just that. But yes, I won't lie, I do have some reservations about you possibly killing her someday." _

_Pansy stopped. It took Draco a few moments to notice and he had to backtrack to reach her. She was staring at him with a mixture of awe and hesitation. "WHAT!" Draco shouted. _

_She shook her head. Slowly. "I just can't believe it. You are so in love with her." _

"_I am not." His voice was cold. _

"_You used to love me like that – once." Pansy's voice trembled._

_Draco sighed. He pulled Pansy into his arms and hugged her. She tensed. Slytherin's did not show public displays of affection. Slytherin's did not usually hug. It was a sign of absolute friendship that Draco was doing this out in the open, where anyone could see. "I do love you. I love you so much." His voice didn't shake, but it didn't hold its usual strength. "You're my best friend." He pulled back and gently brushed her cheek with his gloved hand. "Do you see why I'm afraid?"_

_Pansy seemed split between disgust at his uncalled for display, and understanding at his words. She chose the latter. She nodded. "Of course I understand. It doesn't mean I agree. But yes, it would be like you turning your wand on Malcolm. I wouldn't know what to think." _

"_I know what to think. It would kill me." Draco sighed, as if he realized just what he had been doing and stepped back. "Forget it. It's not important anymore. Let's go back." _

_Pansy didn't hesitate in following him._

That had been a few days ago. Now he was so swept up with his plans for leaving, his N.E.W.T.S. and the Quidditch final approaching that he didn't have time to think of anything else. He was secretly grateful.

It was exhausting always thinking of Ginny Weasley.


End file.
